Social media has become a popular tool for both criminals and law enforcement. There are a lot of different perspectives about how social media is instrumental to crime and solving crimes. On one hand, law enforcement can use social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter to find evidence about specific crimes. On the other hand, digital villains can use social media to break the law. This could include crimes as small as illegally downloading music, anywhere upwards to broadcasting the selling of drugs. Social media has also bred a new type of crime. Online money scams are a rising issue in Canada as the social media demographic expands. Another popular topic in social media crime is the use of vigilantes. With the use of computers, …show more content…
“Claiming to be another person, creating a false presence for an organization, or creating multiple accounts undermines community and violates Facebook's terms” (Facebook, 2014). Although this may seem like a practical solution, it also raises the issue of privacy, and whether or not the information we post online is our intellectual property or not. A popular example of the success police have through online evidence is that of Melvin Colon. CNN described the posts of the man suspected of murder as gang signs, and references to past crimes. “One of his Facebook friends agreed to give police access to Colon's "private" information, and on August 10, a federal judge ruled Colon lost all claims to privacy when he shared those details with friends” (Kelly, 2012). Social media has indefinitely been an aid to police officers and investigators in evidence and crime solving, but it has also become an outlet for crime to happen. With using the internet, there becomes a feeling of anonymity, and that feeling can turn someone into a criminal that would never commit a crime in a public forum without the use of social media. One common crime that social media has created is the action of cyberbullying. Because of the anonymity, bullies feel less responsible and less sympathetic to their victims. “Cyberbullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to bully, embarrass, threaten or harass another person. It also includes the use
Cyberbullying is an everyday situation for teenagers around the world. Many teenagers suffer from bullies that are treating them badly and differently than other people. Individuals should be prosecuted for statements made on social media because of the impact that it has on the victim. The cyberbully should be prosecuted because of how the victim reacts to the situation, how the bully harrasses them, and how it spreads around the internet.
Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are huge contributors to cyberbullying. These social network sites grant their members the privilege to engage in the actions of the attacker which is a menace. A majority of the cyberbullied population have committed suicide due to the abusive comments. Cyberbullying has gone into a hyper drive with new devices and faster types of social media.
Social media is especially useful when it comes to investigations. Police officers have learned that, in using social networks to spread certain cases to the public, more information is retrieved. For instance, sending out an image of the criminal to news stations that later display it to the public often leads to feedback about the whereabouts of the criminal as seen by a citizen. Likewise, through social media accounts, we are more capable of seeing things such as who the criminal associates themselves with, as well as their whereabouts, or places they are likely to go through photo geotagging.
The internet has created an entirely new world of social communications particularly for youths. There are no more barriers. Family, friends, young and old may now stay in touch with just about everyone, anywhere in the world through the use of email, text messaging, web chat, and instant messaging. Although, most interactions are friendly and in good nature, there are some that are not. The use of technology as a tool to antagonize, torment and intimidate others is now a widespread problem. Sadly, this form of bullying like all others is most common among children and young adults. Research done by Cox Communications on children between 13 thru 18 year-olds, 25 percent said they were cyber-bullied whether online or by cell phone (Cox Com. 2009). Also in 2007, the National Crime Prevention Council reported cyber-bullying as a problem that affected approximately half of all American teens. Since it is popular among this group of American teens, then it is safe look at some of possible reason cyber bullies of this age group are encouraged to take part in such activity.
Before the invention of Facebook, twitter, and many others, social media data collection was used by companies to get customers’ impression about their products. However, nowadays with modern technology the game has changed. Following the discoveries of these various social media networks, users are now capable of browsing vast bulk public postings, and others are taking advantage of it to commit crimes. This carnage of online crime has alerted the law enforcement to look ways to tackle it, hence starting to monitor and collect social media data. Collecting of social media data by law enforcement, is gathering of the users’ information, intercepts users’ communications, and analyzes that data to make intelligence determinations. This approach helps to disclose key information or secrets of online crimes to law enforcement. An online crime such as street gang and terrorism is not a new thing in the world today. Currently, terror and gang
Social media is a popular network in today’s society and according to Internet World Stats (2017), “3.773 billion is the total number of global internet users.” Social Media can easily be used for criminal purposes and Drew Hendricks (2014) explains that, “78 percent of burglars admit that they use social media to seek out their victims.” Social Media has become of significant use for professionals working in the Criminal Justice System, since they can use social media to track down criminals or use it as evidence to build a case (Hendricks, 2014). Social media has also been used significantly for people living in secluded societies to voice their opinions on global situations (Steinberg, 2012). Social media should have a place in the Criminal
Technology is rapidly advancing at a dizzying rate which has seen many amazing feats but has also introduced and increased the act of Cyberbullying. Cyber bullying can be defined as targeting someone using any form of technology (this includes social media) to tease, stalk or humiliate someone online (Dictionary.com, 2016). Cyberbullying is so detrimental because it encourages the targeting of an individual; It is often done in secret with the bully hiding who they are by creating false profiles or names, or sending anonymous messages. It is difficult to remove as it is shared online so it can be recorded and saved in different places. Cyberbullying has such a negative impact that research shows that there is a correlation between the violent
Social media is commonly used worldwide as a tool for learning and communication. However, the benefits are compromised by the inability to contain the contents shared and the misbehaviour of its users. Social media intervenes with the strict regulations of gun distribution, is used as a method of propaganda by terrorist organizations and is a platform that eases the execution of hate crimes in the form of cyberbullying. The aspect of efficiency and anonymity on social media makes it the largest contributor in violating laws across national borders, leading to more chaos and tragedy than convenience.
Being in law enforcement it is very important to have an effective relationship with the community so that public safety is maintained and effective policing is conducted. Unfortunately, one of the biggest issues that have made it difficult for years to have an effective relationship with the community is that the a lot of people in the community believe that police are misusing their power by using excessive force and unlawful actions against people. Social media has also played a big role in making it difficult for people to trust law enforcement due to the fact that anything can be posted at anytime. Trying to rebuild the relationship with the community is very important to overcome the lost faith the community has and to show them that law enforcement is
One of the major roles of the social media in modern policing is acting as an analytical tool. Criminal investigations tend to incorporate use of social media in creating leads towards the suspects . This is mainly because most people have the tendency in updating their whereabouts on social media and even it is possible to know the character of someone by accessing their accounts.
Social Networking has taken bullying to the extreme. Before advanced technology, children and teenagers were troubled by school bullies. Today, they are targeted by bullies via internet. Most people undergo some form of bullying in life. Growing up, I experienced the typical name calling and spiteful comments. I also dealt with minor cases of virtual bullies. These bullies are known as cyber bullies. I find this topic compelling because it’s a matter that has spiraled out of control.
It has been demonstrated in a number of studies that the more time an individual spends on the computer and internet, the more likely they are to be cyber bully victims, perpetrators or both the victim and bully (Mishna, Khourg-Kassabri, Gadalla, & Daciuk, 2012; Sengupta & Chaudhuri, 2011). The most common mediums of cyber bullying are through email, instant messages, or internet social networking sites; however, the medium with the greatest impact on its victims is picture or video bullying (Beran & Li, 2005; Kowalski & Fedina, 2011; Slonje & Smoth, 2008). It has been suggested in the past that children who have access to social networking sites are more likely to be perpetrators or victims of cyber bullying, however, results from one study indicates this is not the case. Alternatively, it was suggested
As social media gets popular and provides an easier access to the Internet, the more difficult it gets to control people’s outburst. Many people wonder, “What is the difference between traditional bullying and cyber bullying?” “What is cyber bullying?” Traditional bullying is when a person is bullying another person face to face. However, with cyber bullying is different. Cyber bullying occurs through out social media and on the Internet. Once in a while I overhear a person questioning about how teens and young kids use social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and etc. Social media has its pros and cons, pro because it gives us an easier to access to sources when we need it right away. Social media also has its cons because social media is very powerful tools, which can be taken advantage of like for example, making shanky comments on pictures or post inappropriate information about another person. Therefore, how fast is cyberbullying expending? How can we use the Internet in a positive way? Two great essays by Jesse Fleck, Leigh Johnson-Migalski, Jemica Carter, and Feleta Wilson explain these reasoning’s.
Despite the positives, there are many negatives associated with social media. Using social media can make a person more vulnerable to predators and cyber bullying. In this age, “Cyber bulling is quite common, can occur to any young person online, and can cause profound psychosocial outcomes including depression, anxiety, severe isolation, and tragically suicide” (“American Academy of Pediatrics”). Cyber bullying impacts society in a negative way because it is harming young teenagers’ minds. Bullies, torment, threat, harass, and even embarrass their victims by using different forms of social media. Using social media can also decrease privacy for an individual. People often give out their personal information not knowing who can see it. To average internet users, “A false sense of security may leave social networking site users vulnerable to security attacks such as hacking, leaking sensitive information, and sending viruses” (“ProCon”). Furthermore, Social media can also lead to brain disorders and can cause people to have a hard time interacting with people face to face. “Social networking entices people to spend more time online and less time talking to a person face to face.” (“ProCon”)
For such a long time, physical bullying has been the largest problem schools and parents had to face with their children, but now another form of bullying has arisen; cyber bullying. In society today, teens are drawn cell phones, laptops, and other technological advancements. Social media is a way for many teens and adolescents to interact with one another and share countless happenings of their personal lives. Cyber bullying occurs when individuals use the internet to send or comment cruel and unnecessary messages to another. In its various forms cyber bullying includes, indirect and direct harassment, posting inappropriate pictures, impersonating another being, or just being plain cruel. Although anyone can become a victim of cyber bullying, improper use of the internet can further induce harassment, due to the adolescents desire to use modern day technologies. The harassers could be classmates, online “friends’’, or anonymous users. One barrier that is difficult to overcome is determining who is responsible for the attacks online, because many bullies hide behind fake usernames or profiles to protect their real identity, which is commonly known as “hiding behind a screen”. (Bonanno 2013). The motives for a cyber-bully are never clear, some might say