In our recent blog, we discussed the value of social media as an investigative tool to surreptitiously gather data about an individual and his or her activities.  Facebook has recently demonstrated that it also has value as a crime-fighting tool.  In a recent article, Facebook has confirmed it will be releasing over three years of data regarding a cyber-hacking gang that has been targeting Facebook users.  As is commonly said, anything that is uploaded to the internet stays there forever.  This is just a clear example of how it can benefit us all.

Facebook to unmask, send message to Koobface Gang
By Don Reisinger

Koobface has been a thorn in the side of Web sites for years now. But starting today, Facebook is responding with salvos that could put the gang on the run.

According to The New York Times, the world’s largest social network will announce today that it’s planning to share boatloads of information it has gathered over the years about the Koobface Gang. The Times said today that Facebook believes “public namings” could go a long way toward stopping the gang from operating, and potentially help law enforcement officials start taking it down. Read more…

There is also an increase in the use of the Facebook by Police agencies to keep the public educated and informed of recent incidents.  More and more Police agencies are using Facebook to monitor the activities of criminals, their activities and their associates:

Police Use Facebook to Fight Crime, Talk to Residents
By Sara Inés Calderón

Police departments around the United States have begun to incorporate Facebook into their policing efforts, using the network to serve a variety of needs. Pages created to find missing persons have rendered useful information and tips on police pages or the pages of criminal elements have led to arrests.

As we previously reported, there are many ways for a municipal entity to help their constituencies on Facebook, such as posting events and providing useful information in an accessible way. A few police departments we spoke to said that they use Facebook to serve very specific needs online, and in doing so, are able to complement the work they’re doing in the real world.  Read more…