Even with all the media attention on recent issues of the interenet, people still are somewhat deluded in that information on social media is private or limited to a selective group of people. The reality is, much of the information posted onto social media sites is somewhat public, and has the possibility to be seen or accessed by complete strangers. These strangers may be law enforcement officials. When individuals engage in illegal acts or threaten others and share it to social media it becomes public. Because it is public, it becomes fair game for law enforcement. For law enforcement, the result of this is an evidentiary and probable cause gold mine. Police are adapting to the technology of today to rely on social media to bolster their traditional investigative work.
BACKGROUND
Law enforcement has recognized the growing problems that come from social media and how illegal acts can be facilitated and fostered by social media. Some local agencies have specific task forces that handle just online activity. Other local departments use private tech firms who sell sophisticated software capable of analyzing vast segments of the internet. The nature of the internet supports law enforcement use of identifying and catching illegal acts. Because of the nature of social media, targets or suspects are in his or her comfortable stage. Some of them feel like social media is a safe-spot. Targets or suspects can brag or post valuable information in reference to hobbies, travel, appointments, circle of friends, relationships, actions, etc. Most people believe these sites are private, but unfortunately many things posted can be seen by more people than the author intended.
Unlike searching a home or password-protected e-mail account, social m...
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...may be more willing to use those accounts to send crime tips or to work with police on investigations. It also could be a smart idea for the police officers to go into classrooms and talk to children about how they still can get into trouble with saying and posting things online.
The findings from this report also show what we learned in class about privacy. Not much is private on the internet and people are constantly misinterpreting this. Like mentioned in class in the future I definitely think more and more cases will come from police using social media. That means there will be more and more cases presented to judges and that come into the media’s attention. As a result, I think there will become more public attention to the issue. Along with other problems like identity theft I think laws will come into existence that establishes more rules for the internet.
Online predators can gain access to social media sites by utilizing specialized software to crack a password, guess by using terms associated with the user's personality or history, or by the user leaving their site secure. The ability to gain insight into someone’s personal lives has never been easier, the creation and utilization of these sites present users with the ability to share information with the masses. The downfall of using these sites are the vulnerabilities that it creates by making the information available for those not initially intended. The most alarming concern is that people are aware of the hazards of using these sites but fail to take proper measures to reduce the risk of their information being collected. During account generation, people seldom take the time to ensure that they understand whom the information on the site will be shared and how to go about blocking unwanted people from having access to the information on the
Over the past fifteen years, the use of social media by both the general public and by the business world has expanded dramatically. Social media is one of a number of social technologies - any technological device or technique that can be used to facilitate communication between individuals. Social technology includes everything from the telephone to Wikipedia. Social media, on the other hand, is the use of media platforms which were specifically create to connect users with other users and give them a peak into each other's lives by allowing them exchange information, messages, ideas, pictures, and other personal communication. However, it’s been known to abuse this rapidly growing technology.
Unfortunately, not all law enforcement agencies are taking advantage of them. That’s why it bears taking a deeper look at these tools and initiatives, to show how they can help fulfill the mission laid out in the Preamble to the United States Constitution – especially the part about insuring domestic tranquility and providing for the common defense. Something that has definitely changed in the years since 9/11 is how much more information is publicly available to law enforcement through the Internet and social media. Internet search tools, social networking sites and other technologies have grown considerably, which means investigators have a greater amount of publicly available information to use in learning about suspects and building a picture of their activities. Including information people publicly publish in their own Web-based profiles.
Kukulka, Mateusz. "Online Is Not Private." Mateusz Kukulka. Kviar Finest Digital Agency, 24 July 2011. Web. 03 Nov. 2015.
And finally let’s talk about how social media has an impact on gangs plans and their activities. With the help of social media, people can help stop gang plans for violent crimes by catching a possible tweet or an Instagram post. They can catch it and report it to the police before anything comes to fruition. Instead, it is being used as an advantage to the gangs as they are setting plans to do their crimes through social media websites like Twitter.
Technology has opened new encounters and opportunities for the criminal justice system. There are so many new practices of criminal activity, such as computer crimes. There are different types of computer crimes that many people become victims of every day. Computer crime is any crime that involves a computer and a network. The computer may have been used in the commission of a crime, or it may be the target ("Computer Crime: Chapter 2: What Are the Crimes?", n.d.). Crimes such as data diddling, pump and dump, social engineering and spoofing are computer crimes. Even though these crimes are difficult by privacy issues, the new technology has made investigations and prosecutions well organized and effective. Though views are different on the pros and cons of specific technological changes in the criminal justice system, there is an agreement the system has changed affectedly ("Effects of Technology in Criminal Justice | eHow", n.d.).
New types of technology have made it easier to track down and catch criminals. Then also made it easier for prosecutors to gather and present more credible information. Some new technology that has made it easier to track down criminals or help provide more reliable and supportive evidence is things such as DNA testing, computer technology, fingerprinting, and GPS tracking devices. “The main strengths of technology in the criminal justice system lie in the provision of databases which allow better and more efficient records to be stored and retrieved” (Bean 370). Prosecutors now in sense have “…an infallible test of truth, a foolproof method, of determining the accuracy and reliability of evidence and hence of convictions” (Pallaras 72). These 4 technological advancement...
These tactics could consist of becoming aware of high school students “ever-changing version” as Susan Blum argues are present and not making it a crucial part of criminal investigations. This course could also allow police to become aware of trends on Twitter, making them recognize common actions on Twitter such as students trying to gain Twitter followers through making their Twitter page entertaining. These suggestions would allow
Law enforcement is tapping into social media to investigate crime-fighting activities and gather evidence to support their case. Not only do police use social media to alert the public of any dangers, but also they use it because it is a useful tool that reveals a person’s location, alibis, relationships, and motives if they are suspected of a crime. Jay Baer, a social media content strategist and speaker, claims “81% of police departments are already using social media” (Baer). One successful example of the effective use of social media investigations was when a Los Angeles graffiti artist was arrested after posted his artwork on YouTube. Nevertheless, Jim Naureckas, the editor of FAIR's monthly journal
The police are also using tools such as the social media in gathering information and analysis people because most people share most things on the social media. Similarly, technology such as the internet and social media can also be dangerous to the police because gangs and even
Social medias have become a big part of our society now, they are being used in all aspects of our life. We are connected twenty-four hours a day, at work, school, home, shopping etc. There is a necessity, a need to be connected to these social media’s, to feel like you are a part of society. With these growing numbers in being connected to social media’s on the web, there comes a growing desire for privacy and safety. In this paper I will discuss and analyze the social media’s themselves, the dangers that arise from them, and how all these correlate to privacy.
Social media can be used for the wrong reasons in many situations. There are many people who have been victims in cyber-bulling, cyber-stalking, and online frauds.
Social Networking sites play an essential role in today’s culture as they provide people with the ability to interact, blog, share pictures and videos, flirt, and date without having to move an inch. People pour their minds and hearts into the world of cyber communication; it is an easier way for them to clear their heads without having a face-to-face confrontation. Undoubtedly, this is advantageous to certain people. It helps establish connections with people, friends and family from any corner of the world, but one cannot ignore the extensive privacy breach that occurs in the universe of online social media.
Social Media is a current way in which people are using to interact with one another daily. Since the launch of various Social Networking Sites (SNS) its been a huge attraction in a new way to share information with others and correspond with interests of your choice in many different forms. Although social media sites allow users to share information with friends and other sites on the internet, many people are unaware of how their privacy is getting out. Now that the expansion of global connection through these social media networking sites are so highly present in todays society, giving us easy access to information, the lack of one's privacy is being diminished. Everyday peoples privacy rights are being taken advantage of and the government should therefore implement more laws to avoid violating users. This is affecting countless users online and is a problem because personal information may get out that is not wanted.
Throughout the years, technology has been increasing in both good and bad ways. Technology is now being used to contact people through social media, link people together through group chats, and also spy on people. Although connecting with people instantly on social media is the upside to technology usage, people often tend to share private information that can be used in the wrong way which is the downside of technology. As both technology and crime increases, technology usage is now being increased to help solve crimes. Many years ago, without the usage of technology, many aspects of a crime was not questioned or the resources to uncover certain evidence were both time consuming and/or expensive. The Police Chief Magazine list many technological improvements that have been put in place to