Police using social media accounts to ensnare protesters is back in the news.
A policing revolution is underway based on what they see as the tool of social media monitoring.
By creating fake accounts for anti-social purposes, social media platforms have “allowed authorities to not only track people but also map out their networks, said Rachel Levinson-Waldman, senior counsel at New York University School of Law’s Brennan Center for Justice.
(NOTE: police’s anti-social use of social media accounts can be contrasted with what many people see as the legitimate use of social media with “fake accounts” which are required to avoid stalkers, unwanted attention, problems at work or in other areas of life, avoid government persecution or oppression, speak without fear of retribution, and other uses of anonymity in the social media realm.)
As to the police’s use, an officer who uses an undercover account anonymously told NBCNews, “Every high-tech crime unit has one. It’s not uncommon, but we don’t like to talk about it too much.”
Two of the most common types of profiles police create are 1)a fake protester or political activist and 2)a pretty girl or woman.
