Why We Love Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, Myspace (anyone use that anymore?), google+.  I'm on record by saying I love them all.  People need to brag about their crimes and what better way than in writing on Facebook.  They love to threaten witnesses.  They connect with a group of friends, which makes it easier to show their affiliation with a gang.  They post pictures of themselves smoking weed, brandishing guns, or of their new tattoos.  Plaintiffs in civil cases will post pictures dancing in bars, going for hikes, or lifting heavy objects, all activities they claim they are unable to do.

And they also plan crimes.  The NYPD is increasing their social media presence and investigation unit for gang crime to help stop street violence before it starts.   

Everyone knows that we leave a permanent mark with whatever we post on the internet. Yet no one seems to care.  I'm not complaining.  I'm thankful.  Without stupid criminals, my job wouldn't exist. 
"Facebook Cops" coming soon to a television near you. 

To illustrate the point:

More like this:
The Mob Mentality
Facebook Me From Jail
Confessions of a Facebook Stalker

Tweet

The Mob Mentality

COMPARE:

WITH:

Flash mobs are created when a group of individuals text, Facebook, tweet, or use any other means to gather a group in one place for a specific purpose.  As you see, there are good and bad uses of this.  Criminal flash mobs are difficult to prevent.  They are almost impossible to prosecute unless the police or other citizens can pick a suspect out of a video.  It is very sad to view the aftermath of these groups.

It's the same mentality that draws young men and women into gangs.  It creates a sense of belonging and of being needed.  People in groups feel emboldened to perform violent acts that they otherwise wouldn't do on their own.  The majority of kids I speak with in gangs join because all their friends do and it is the only way they know to make money.  The way to stop it starts at home and in the education system.  By the time these children churn through the criminal justice system it's almost always too late.  

Can you think of ways to prevent criminal flash mobs?  Should their be additional crimes for these cases?

Tweet

Facebook Me from Jail

For those of you that have been faithful readers, you'll remember that I am an admitted stalker.

I'd like talk about some other stalkers.

Part of any prosecutor's caseload is a hefty dose of cases where visitors to a jail bring unlawful items to prisoners. In New York, this is called promoting prison contraband and, if the item is dangerous, it's a felony.

Some of the usual items confiscated during visitor searches - tobacco, cigarettes, marijuana, heroin, cocaine, knives, guns, razor blades, and scalpels. Let your imagination roam free about where these items are stored on a person's body.

These items are not allowed in prison because they're extremely dangerous in that community. People will literally kill and maim each other for them. The same items are removed daily from a prisoner's cell as well. So that means, visitors are somehow succeeding in getting the items in despite the jail's best efforts.

So, what does this have to do with Facebook and stalking?

The latest contraband entering the prison population is cell phones. As Yahoo! reports, in California alone this year, they have confiscated over 12,000 phones from inmates.

12,000 phones are making it into prison populations in one state alone. Incredible. What's more incredible is the audacity of the prisoner to use Facebook or other social media to intimidate the witnesses against them. States everywhere are just beginning to catch up with this epidemic. We still see the face-to-face witness intimidation or bribe, but it is facing extinction.

From a prosecution standpoint, witness intimidation cases are difficult to prosecute when the threat is over the computer because it is hard to prove who sent the message. Passwords can be given away and fake accounts can be created by anyone.

Witness intimidation is not the only issue either. Cyber-bullying, sexting, and stalking need to be addressed as well. The news reports these issues every day.

Criminals are not constrained by budgets and police protocols. They are able to purchase and learn the latest technology without having to get approval from their bosses. We need the current computer generation to get involved in solving law enforcement's inability to keep up with technology and we need visionary leaders to tackle these problems today. Laws need to be changed to address these new technology crimes. If so, law enforcement in ten years will hardly resemble that of today.

Click on the link at the beginning of this post for a list of ways to avoid becoming an on-line victim.

Tweet

Confessions of a Facebook Stalker

Friend requests, posts, pictures, tags, and likes. Have you ever thought about how much personal information you are putting online without thinking you are doing so?

As I prosecutor, I love and hate facebook. I love it because my defendants (especially the juveniles) cannot help but post incriminating pictures of themselves or leave status updates about the crime committed. I hate it because my witnesses cannot help it either and defense attorneys are checking it just as much as I am.

Facebook plays a significant role in cross-examination. I have cross-examined a defendant who denied any gang affiliation by showing him tagged photos of him flashing gang signs or a defendant who denied knowing the victim until confronted with a photo of the two of them we recovered from the internet. How about the time the defendant denied dealing drugs or ever holding a gun? Turns out there was a photo of the defendant holding a gun, smoking a joint, and flashing hundreds online.

Now for why Facebook and its progeny scares me - our willingness to forego privacy. It starts simply enough, as reported by yahoo. A "friend" requests you. You accept thinking you know him or her. Suddenly, the "friend" has access to all your friends, who your family members are, your birthday, the area you live in, what you like, and social causes you endorse. Why not just leave your social security number too? What more does a person need?

It can happen many ways. Your friend asks you for a donation to a cause he now knows you support. Turns out the cause doesn't exist after you donate. Your friend could suggest an investment opportunity like the article suggests. Your friend could find your friends and family members who are susceptible to scams through you. What about your status update about leaving for vacation? Whoever you're connected to knows your house will be unoccupied for a week. There are a million different ways a criminal can use your information and we see them everyday in the headlines.

A few common sense tips:
1) Don't accept friend requests from people you don't know.
2) Don't post anything about an event, until it's already happened.
3) Keep your privacy settings as private as possible. Only allow friends to see your pages.
4) Teach your children about privacy and the dangers of the internet. Once it's posted, it's there forever. (Hope this blog never comes back to hurt me).
5) Don't invest any money without meeting someone face to face and getting the opinion of a certified professional.
6) In case you're wondering, I do have a Facebook account. I don't label any of my family members as such though and I suggest you follow that lead.

Does anyone have stories about their privacy invaded? What are some other tips for our readers they should know about maintaining privacy online?

Tweet