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Gangs on the Internet

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the click-by-shootings dept.

mikesd81 writes "Apparently street gangs have gotten Web-savvy. Web Bangers are posting potentially incriminating photos and taunts on their websites. Police departments suddenly faced with gangs are looking for help on the gangs' own easy-to-find Web sites. The director of the National Gang Crime Research Center has stated "In order to understand any subculture, be it al-Qaida, witches, devil worshippers or gangs, you have to be able to know their own language.' Knox said it's important for police to learn how to read between the lines on gang Web sites and blogs. Just as time on the streets has given gang investigators the ability to read the hieroglyphics of wall graffiti, time on the Web helps them understand arcane Web clues. Gang identifiers, such as tattoos, graffiti tags, colors and clothing often are embedded in each site."

3 of 402 comments (clear)

  1. I know what to do... by MrChom · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Publish a Grand Theft Auto MMORPG and use google adsense to advertise it on gang blogs...take real world crime into virtual space....and make money....wonderful.

  2. Re:Seriously... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    myspace hardly requires any leet geek skills... this is just a sign that the web has got dumb enough for dumb people to use it.

  3. Re:Al Queda, witches, devil worshippers, and gangs by the_womble · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Witches !- Wicca. Traditionally in Europe it meant devil worshippers and possible followers of some fairly nasty practices. It also covers African witchcraft which frequently involves murder. You may wish to dissociate Wicca from that. Fair enough. However it is not reasonable for you to expect to redefine the meanings of the words involved in line with your beliefs. Wicca is essentially a modern invention (not one I have much sympathy with but that should not matter to you) and I would need a lot of convincing that it has any meaningful links to either ancient paganism or most old traditions of witchcraft so I do not see any reason to re-define the word witchcraft in line with Wicca. Ancient pagans fought wars, took slaves and slaughtered civilians and in all that thought the gods were backing them. If you claim any link with them you can not then disclaim their bad side.