Police use social media to track down criminals

Kelly, H (2012, August 30). Police embrace social media as crime fighting tool. retrieved April 11 2014, from CNN Tech Web Site: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/30/tech/social-media/fighting-crime-social-media/

This article's topic is how law enforcement is using social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube to gather evidence to solve crimes.  Social media may negatively affect society in some ways but it also has its positives.  The author’s purpose is to inform the public on the ways social media is being used as a tool to catch criminals.  The article claims that criminals are bragging about their crimes online, even setting up drug deals and uploading incriminating videos.  Drug dealers have been known to post public updates that include information on their location so clients, and unintentionally, law enforcement know where to find them.  Some law enforcement are even going undercover on Facebook to try and catch criminals.  They create fake profiles to attempt to befriend the suspects.  Although making fake accounts is frowned upon and violates Facebooks’s terms of service, it is not illegal and the evidence collected can still be used in court.  Authorities can also request private information directly from the social network with subpoenas and warrants, or even make an emergency request for information if they believe that there is an anticipated danger or threat.  Law enforcement’s social media effort began small, but now police are teaming up and receiving training from social media experts.  According to a recent survey, police social media use is catching on across the country.  Out of 1221 federal, state and local law enforcement that use social media, four out of five officials use social media during investigations.  The majority said social media helps to solve crimes faster.  The survey also found that Facebook is the most used social network by law enforcement and second is YouTube.   This article shows that social media can also affect society in positive ways.  Social media sites are strong resources to help law enforcement solve crimes and get dangerous criminals off the streets.  I think this article is very useful to my blog’s topic. So far I have posted about the negative effects of social media but it is also important to notice the positive.