Comparative Analysis of the Legislative Criminal Policy of Iran and England in Confronting Emerging Challenges of Cybercrime (with Emphasis on Developments from 2020 to 2025)
Keywords:
Legislative criminal policy, cybercrime, legislative developments, emerging challengesAbstract
Technological developments and the expansion of cyberspace during the years 2020 to 2025 have confronted legal systems with emerging and complex challenges in the fields of criminalization and the control of cybercrime. This article adopts a comparative approach to examine and analyze the legislative criminal policy of Iran and England regarding new forms of cybercrime. The research method is descriptive–analytical and is based on newly enacted legal documents and regulations in both countries, including the amendments introduced under the Computer Misuse Act (CMA 1990) in England, the Iranian Computer Crimes Act, and the resolutions of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace. The findings indicate that the legal system of England, through a combined approach of traditional criminalization and technology-oriented reforms—such as the new Online Safety Act 2023—has demonstrated a more dynamic response to the rapid transformations of cyberspace and, in addition to criminal sanctions, has expanded preventive policies and victim protection mechanisms. In contrast, Iran’s legislative policy continues to rely primarily on punitive responses and an extensive criminalization approach centered on state responsibility, while facing structural gaps in defining the scope of liability of private actors and in providing innovative mechanisms. By identifying the weaknesses of the Iranian legislative system, including the inadequacy of preventive measures, the lack of inter-institutional cooperation, and the slow adaptation to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain, the present study proposes solutions for improving Iran’s criminal policy based on successful models adopted in England. The results of this analysis may assist policymakers in both countries in formulating forward-looking, flexible, and empirically grounded legislation aimed at addressing the growing threats of cybercrime.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Mohammadamin Nourinezhad (Author); Abuzar Salarifar; Cyrus Zarghami (Author)
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