Police befriend Facebook, Twitter users

This is something that I knew but couldn't put my finger on. Now I see what was bothering me about Facebook. I personally don't have an account on that site and I don't believe I will ever open one. It's way too revealing or something. This article says that the police are using it to find criminals. Get photos of them, find out what is going on in a particular circle. I don't know I see it as something that can get way out of control once law enforcement begins using it. They actually set up accounts and stuff, check it out.

Canadian police forces are getting tips on how to track sexual predators and gang members by setting up fake accounts on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. "They make friends that way, they make connections that way. And they get inside that world, and go from there," said Lauri Stevens, a U.S. social media consultant who has been invited this week to teach police in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto how to make better use of such sites to fight crime. "They're seeing what people are saying about theThey're seeing what people are saying about themm," Stevens added. "And in some cases there are some very sophisticated investigations going on in the world of social media."

www.cbc.ca...

I know they say it is to track predators and gang members but what about other so called criminals? Now that makes me wonder. What is to keep them from creating an account here? Making friends and finding out what people are saying about them and for what reasons. I believe they just let the cat out of the bag so to speak.

I know of Drug Squad detectives that have used Facebook to get in with groups of friends, building up relationships with them online, end up meeting up and doing them for possession/dealing.



I must say that i respect that kind of sneakiness even if they are A holes.

reply to post by Dermo


I do not have a problem with that at all. I think it is a good idea. The thing I find disturbing is that it can be anybody looking for information on a broad range of things. Dissidents? I don't know, maybe I'm just being paranoid. I probably am being paranoid.

Stay the hell away from social networking sites. If you must visit sites like facebook and myspace, make a phony profile with pictures from a TV show or movie, even draw your own.

As far as twitter goes, have fun, but don't get personal. Think of these sites as being on a wall at the entrance to a school. Everyone can see and laugh at you, including the police.

If someone is dumb enough to identify himself as a criminal on a social network, he deserves what he gets. He doesn't have what it takes to be a successful criminal. He needs to find another job.

Everything you post anywhere, you post forever. It's logged, saved to disk, and archived. If it's important enough, law enforcement officials can get hold of it.

I have seen people asking for drug connections, illegal software, music, and videos, all sorts of stuff, as though they were in some sort of secret room. if *I* can see it, so can the LEO's. And believe me, they're actively looking.

There are cops who set up stings for pedophiles. They pose as "Amber" or "Tiffany" or whatever, pretend to be young teenagers, and get someone hooked. They set up a meeting, and surprise! They're not quite who they said they'd be.

There are also cops who troll for other things, mostly drugs. I suppose they also look for stolen merchandise, illegal weapons, and so on. For all I know, half the "criminal" activity on the Internet is cops unwittingly talking to each other.

Is Twitter A Secret Instrument Of The State? Posted by Michael Hickins, Oct 15, 2009 10:57 AM

Privately-held Twitter has been closely linked to three incidents that we know of in which the Internet service worked closely with official United States agencies. The first was in Iraq, then Iran, and the most recent in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh case involving G-20 protesters Eliot Madison and Michael Wallschlaeger is particularly mysterious because the search warrant used by police, inferring a link between Madison and Twitter, is masked by a sealed affidavit. The warrant, which was issued at 3:25 PM on Thursday, September 24, allowed police to search Madison's hotel room, which is where they seized cell phones, PCs and a police scanner. The FBI later searched Madison's New York apartment and came away with Marxist literature and information about political associates. Whoa. The three charges against Madison and Wallschlaeger -- possession of instruments of crime (the seized electronics), hindering apprehension, and criminal use of communications facilities (the Internet) -- hinge on whether or not the two used their equipment to help protesters disobey lawful police orders. "There is no evidence they prodded anyone to disobey any lawful orders," Claudia Davidson, one of the attorneys representing the men told me today. If the case ever comes to trial (a hearing is set for November 17), plenty will be said and written about the overreaching search warrant and the denial of Madison's Constitutional rights (especially where the Marxist literature and political associates are concerned.) But the answer to the question that interests me now -- how did the police connect Madison to his alleged Twitter handle, g20pgh, -- remains cloaked behind a judge's seal. Davidson told me she plans to file a motion to unseal the affidavit.

link

[edit on 15-10-2009 by jackflap]

I know I've had to make some exceptions on the proxy for some of them before. They like to troll around facebook and myspace. They get some good leads that way.

I sort of agree that if you're retarded enough to incriminate yourself on there (or here) than you probably 'have it coming.' We could chalk that up to natural selection I suppose.

I've always had a problem with them misrepresenting themselves. Always reeked of entrapment to me, but I'm just biased. If you post pictures of your illegal guns or substances or activities, they're going to see it while wondering around.