Social media fights crime
Social media is an increasingly useful investigative tool for identifying breaking events and potential threats, as well as for surveillance to counter cyber crime and terrorism, according to law enforcement officers.
Law enforcement agencies are increasingly using social media tools in their efforts to prevent and solve crime, but in doing so they sometimes risk breaking the law themselves, reports Rutrell Yasin in Government Computer News.
FBI Special Agent Gunpat “Gunner” Wagh advised an audience of law enforcement officials to consult with attorneys when planning an investigation to be sure they have any needed warrants or other authorization to do whatever they're planning.
“If people are pushing information out there, so it’s open source, and we are sifting through it [looking for potential threats] then I don’t think that there is a big [privacy] issue,” said Tom Wilkins, executive director of the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department’s Homeland Security Bureau’s Intelligence Division in the article. “When police start digging, then you’ve got privacy issues."
The officers spoke at the AFCEA Bethesda Chapter Law Enforcement IT Day 2012 on April 18. To read Yasin's full report, click here.