Crossing The Firewall

A Doctor, A Reviewer, and A Professor Walk Into A Bar...

Humans are social creatures, and we tend to take the opinions of those around us seriously. The reviews of people we don't even know can influence our decision to purchase a product, eat at a particular restaurant, and even determine how we do our job. This week, Dr. Brandon Van Der Heide joins us to discuss how Social Proof influences our decision-making and how this can be hijacked by bad actors. This episode meets at the intersection of Communication, Marketing, Cybercrime, and Medicine. ---- Dr. Brandon Van Der Heide is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Michigan State University. Learn more about Dr. Van Der Heide: https://comartsci.msu.edu/our-people/brandon-van-der-heide ---- Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.edu Advance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation ---- Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, medical, or legal advice.

Can Regulation Save Us From AI?

This week's episode of Crossing The Firewall, we discuss Artificial Intelligence (AI), Government policy, and regulations. Can we regulate our way to a safe AI environment, or has the metaphorical train left the station and we are simply on the ride? Our guest Dr. Johannes Bauer is a Professor in the College of Communication Arts & Sciences at Michigan State University, and Quello Chair for Media and Information Policy. Dr. Bauer's expertise is in the digital economy, focusing on harnessing the benefits of information and communication technologies (ICTs) while avoiding their downsides. In addition to his role at MSU, Dr. Bauer has also served as Chief Economist in the Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC. ---- Learn more about Dr. Bauer: https://comartsci.msu.edu/our-people/johannes-m-bauer Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.edu Advance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation ---- Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

Lets Go Phishing - Ep. 28

Join us for this phishing adventure with Michael Joyce, Executive Director of the Human-Centric Cybersecurity Partnership and host of the popular Cybercrimeology podcast! We discuss Phishing scams, the ethics of conducting cybercrime research, and what it takes for us to protect ourselves from scams that are becoming more sophisticated. Listen to the Cybercrimeology Podcast here: https://cybercrimeology.com/ ---- Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.edu Advance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation ---- Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

The Lost Episode: Addressing the Recent Spike in Sextortion

Back in May 2025, we recorded a podcast with Dr. Roberta Liggett O'Malley addressing the recent spike in sextortion cases across the United States. Unfortunately, the audio and video files were lost through some mysterious circumstances (we blame our editor). However, the files have been uncovered and we can now publish the episode almost a year to the date of the original recording! Dr. Liggett O'Malley is an Assistant Professor in Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida. She is an expert in sextortion and cybercrime, quickly earning a strong reputation in the field as a leading researcher. She is also an alum of the MSU School of Criminal Justice's Doctoral Program. ---- Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.edu Advance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation ---- Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.

Combating CSAM with AI - Ep. 26

This week we meet with Dr. Russell Brewer, a Professor in the School of Society and Culture at Adelaide University. Dr. Brewer is an expert on the human dimensions of cybercrime and how AI can help identify perpetrators of crime. One of Dr. Brewer's latest projects is developing a stack of AI tools that can help investigators combat CSAM. ---- Learn more about Dr. Brewer: https://researchers.adelaide.edu.au/profile/russell.brewer ---- Interested in learning more about the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation & Training? Visit our website: www.cybertraining.msu.edu Advance your career with a Masters Degree in Cybercrime and Digital Investigation from the MSU School of Criminal Justice: https://online.cj.msu.edu/ms-masters-cybercrime-digital-investigation ---- Follow Crossing the Firewall on social media! Find us on BlueSky and Instagram. You can also follow the MSU Center for Cybercrime Investigation and Training on LinkedIn. Crossing the Firewall is hosted by Dr. Tom Holt, Dr. Rachel McNealey, and Dr. Taylor Fisher. Edited by JJ Thomas. All views and opinions expressed are the views of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of their home institutions or places of work. All information provided in this podcast should not be taken as business, personal, financial, or legal advice.