December 17, 2014
Current Events
The world has embraced social media, but so have the feds. They’re using it to catch fugitives, financial frauds, terrorists and more. People are so free and unguarded with information they share on social media, that the feds have figured out Facebook, Twitter and other similar sites are a veritable treasure trove of information to use against those who might be skirting the law.
According to an internal Justice Department document, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies are simply going undercover by creating false online profiles to communicate with suspects and gather private information. The document, obtained in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, shows how U.S. agents are using social media to exchange messages with suspects, identify a target’s friends or relatives and browse private information including postings, personal photographs and video clips. Once accepted as a “friend” or “follower,” investigators are then free and clear to peruse Facebook posts and tweets to check political rants, suspected terrorist activity, financial fraud and more. Online photos from a suspicious spending spree or of members posing with jewelry, guns or fancy cars, can also link suspects or their friends to robberies or burglaries.
Federal authorities nabbed a Seattle man wanted on bank fraud charges after he posted Facebook updates about all the fun he was having in Mexico. Although he had previously alluded authorities, the FBI was able to befriend him via a fictitious Facebook profile and pin down his exact hiding spot.
Current Events
Thieves have been using careless Facebook posts from people announcing an upcoming vacation to simply wait until they’re gone to rob them. Now, the feds are using Facebook posts of your elaborate vacations, fancy shopping sprees and more to determine if your behavior might be breaking the law. Interestingly, they don’t have to pry the information out of anyone. All they have to do is send out a friend request, then wait for you to tell them everything they need to know via your social media posts.
So if you don’t want the feds potentially knowing your business, the solution is simple: stop accepting random Facebook “friend” requests from people you don’t really know and stop posting all your personal business on social media for all the world to see.
According to one government official: “Social networking and the courtroom can be a dangerous combination.”
