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Essay about Social Media is a Source for Criiminals and Law Enforcement

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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

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