Facebook users need to know how, data collected by Facebook on every account and transaction, even hidden data taken from browsers when users visit their accounts, can be used by Facebook. There must be some exception in FB Terms Of Agreement which allows them to use FB Users private data this way.10-5-2012 National:
Here FB appears to allow a 3rd Party website (Connected to the Case [which somehow gets reports of crimes from police]) to scan FB accounts to see if any data from a specific FB user account MAY match up in time, place, date, Friend name etc., to a reported crime (being tracked by Connected-to-the-Case), thus making that FB user a "person w/info that may be helpful to police.""Possible Person of Interest,"maybe to report to police(i.e., Crowd-Sourcing).
UPDATE 10-8-2012: I stand corrected, see reader comment below article, directly from Connected to the Case.
“Connected to the Case,” a new website, will collect and crowd-source tips about crimes to help police solve active investigations. The service will pull data from your Facebook profile to prioritize cases with which you might have a connection. The website can access this information because you use your Facebook log-in to access it. The website will pull from five pools of data in your profile: date, location, time, demographics and relation.
“The ability to harness the true power of social media, and focus it on a case that needs to be solved will help law enforcement close cases more quickly and bring closure to the families of victims who are still waiting for justice,” said Morgan Wright, CEO and Chief Crime Fighter of Crowd Sourced Investigations, said in a press release about the new online tool. “As a former law enforcement officer and detective, I know full well the need to quickly and efficiently close active cases.”
The website will allow users to control their privacy settings and report tips anonymously if they wish. However, this unparalleled access and use of personal information raises more than a few eyebrows. What do you think about programs accessing so much personal data and then using it? Do you think using a crowd-sourcing tool to combat crime could be effective? ..Source.. by Internet Safety & Privacy
So . . . Facebook has become the "Big Brother" of Orwell's 1984. If I remember, every home was monitored through an audio-visual device for "unpatriotic" activities. Facebook is here!
ReplyDeleteI'm Morgan Wright - the Chief Crime Fighter at Connected To The Case. Thanks for commenting on our launch. I'd like to make a couple of comments about your observations. In no way is any user information provided to law enforcement. Our privacy policy strictly prohibits that. Instead, as law enforcement agencies upload cases of interest, elements in those cases which could match user profiles are identified and provided only to the user - not law enforcement. The user, who voluntarily provides the profile information, gets a notification that they may have a connection to an ongoing case and are provided a link to that case. If the user concludes they have relevant information and would like to leave a tip for law enforcement, they can do so on a web-based form. The form gives them to opportunity to provide identifying information to law enforcement, or submit without that information. The only information law enforcement receives is the tip - that's it. It isn't about finding the bad guys on Facebook - it's about finding the bad guy using Facebook. Our team has worked to eliminate the element of chance to the greatest extent possible by using known things - date, location, time, relation, demographics - to quickly locate people who have information. Just the same way you would connect to someone on Facebook because you both went to the same school or were born in the same place, or worked for the same company, we're doing the same thing with suspects and victims. It's all voluntary - you can get involved without being involved. Hope this helps. Please contact us at info@c2case.com with any questions. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteI was just curious how your website/Facebook page/program will work. From what I understand, as you get info on unsolved cases, you will scan profiles for similar info such as place, time, date, and relation, correct? But don't most Facebook users have that info private/hidden?
ReplyDeleteYou will have to contact that website, we do not own or operate it. See reader comment following that article to contact that company, they provided a contact e-mail.
ReplyDelete