Cybercrime – Does the justice system stand a chance in the underground economy?

Lecture on February 27, 2026

Crime is such a perennial issue for humanity that it can be seen as a natural side effect of the process of civilization. That is why it has also taken hold of the latest digital developments. The threat situation in cyberspace is testing our ability to radically rethink our approach like hardly any other phenomenon of our time. The challenges for companies are immense. They are no less daunting for law enforcement agencies. “Remote” access, which has long since become the social norm, scales the possibilities for perpetrators. Cybercriminals hold up a mirror to us by exploiting the opportunities we ourselves create, and they do so without limits. Cybercrime has led to a paradigm shift in the game of cops and robbers. A critical examination raises the question of whether the legal mandate of the police and judiciary to successfully combat cybercrime can still be fulfilled at all. This is because companies affected by cyberattacks shy away from contacting law enforcement agencies. A gap is widening between those affected and state institutions. In her presentation, Jana Ringwald explains how modern international law enforcement can succeed, which ideals we can abandon, and which new structures and working methods are appropriate for a state response to the “underground economy.”