The Role of Social Media in the Criminal Landscape

The recent events of the Osama raid has gotten me thinking about the increasing role of social media being used as a source of data, evidence, proof, etc in situations such as government take-downs or criminal cases.

TIME magazine reported that a resident of Abbottabad, Pakistan, who just happened to live a stone's throw from the Osama compound, actually detailed the event via Twitter without knowing what events were occurring.

Upon learning what he was reporting on his Twitter account, Sohaib Athar, the Abbottabad resident, tweeted, "Uh oh, now I'm the guy who liveblogged the Osama raid without knowing it." And while some might be excited about living out their 15 seconds of fame, Athar didn't seem to be jumping for joy:

Athar unknowingly, yet successfully, detailed the attack from a civilian's point of view and became a reference point for many media outlets and civilians just looking for more information on the raid.

This is what got me thinking about the role of social media: how are platforms such as Twitter and Facebook increasingly being used to detail attacks or provide evidence in trials?

According to The New York Daily News, Twitter was being used as evidence in a murder trial in January 2010. The suspect, Jameg Blake, reportedly had "beef" with long-time friend/victim Kwame Dancy that possibly led to the latter's murder. The NY Daily News reported, "A police source said the messages may be subpoenaed to bolster the theory that there was bad blood between the two old pals." While tweets alone are not nearly enough to convict someone of a crime, this just goes to show how social media platforms are beginning to play a role in these types of situations. The Tech Herald reasoned that while this is most likely the first time Twitter has played a such role, "...as most and more people flood the various social sites with comments, opinions and even arguments, this might not be the last time Twitter is linked to a criminal case."

Federal Computer Week also reported how social media is being used to catch criminals. In an article dating April 5, the publication described how police forces are combing through social media sites for evidence or for information on how to track suspects. According to FCW:

On the flip side, the article also argued that police officers need to be careful about protecting themselves on these sites. Because gangs are becoming more savvy about social media platforms, they can look at photos to recognize officers and track GPS postings, which leaves officers more prone to an attack.

Some police departments have been efficient at using social media platforms as a source of PR to boost the public's morale.

I'm interested to see how these social media sites will continue to shape the landscape of the criminal field.