80% of Law Enforcement Officials use Social Media to Investigate Crimes
A recent survey conducted by LexisNexis shows that 4 out of 5 law enforcement officials have used social media in some manner to help with investigations. This should not be a surprise to anyone, yet people seem to forget much of what they post is public and can be viewed by just about anyone, including law enforcement. In fact there is even a wikipedia page dedicated to the "Use of Social Networks in Investigations" filled with high profile examples of defendants and suspects handing investigators evidence on a silver platter. Numerous times as a prosecutor, I simply "Googled" or "Facebooked" a defendant's name and was treated to some favorable evidence, with very little effort on my part.
Limiting the viewing of wall posts or galleries to "friends of friends" on Facebook, may seem like a nice barrier protecting your private information,when in actuality there is a good chance, one of those "Friends of Friends" is a detective, police officer or prosecutor. Think about this, according to one study, the average facebook user can reach 31,170 Facebook users through "Friends of Friends." Chances are at least one of those "Friends of Friends" is working for law enforcement.
Limiting the viewing of wall posts or galleries to "friends of friends" on Facebook, may seem like a nice barrier protecting your private information,when in actuality there is a good chance, one of those "Friends of Friends" is a detective, police officer or prosecutor. Think about this, according to one study, the average facebook user can reach 31,170 Facebook users through "Friends of Friends." Chances are at least one of those "Friends of Friends" is working for law enforcement.
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