Cyberprzestępstwa o charakterze terrorystycznym w polskim prawie karnym

Abstract

The author of the article analyzes the mutual relations between the concepts of cybercrime and cyberterrorism in the context of Polish criminal law, drawing on criminological knowledge. The aim of the study is to describe this problem from a normative perspective and propose appropriate changes in the criminal policy of the Polish legislature. The main subject of the doctrinal research, which is also based on a review of relevant domestic and foreign literature, is the scope of the concept of cybercrime in relation to the fulfillment of the conditions specified in Article 115 § 20 of the Criminal Code, which pertain to terrorist offenses. Based on the conducted research, it has been observed that not all cybercrimes covered by the Polish Criminal Code meet the conditions described in Article 155 § 20 of the Criminal Code and therefore cannot be considered as cyberterrorism. This primarily stems from the formal criterion of a higher penalty, which cannot be lower than 5 years of imprisonment. Therefore, the author suggests abandoning this formal criterion and focusing solely on the intentions of the perpetrator, which may contribute to a greater effectiveness of the criminal policy in combating cyberterrorism.