British Police Use Facebook to Gather Evidence

Amy Bennett writes "Move over police scanner and most-wanted poster. The Greater Manchester Police force has created a Facebook application to collect leads for investigations. The application delivers a real-time feed of police news and appeals for information. A 'Submit Intelligence' link takes a Facebook user to the police Web site where they can anonymously submit tips. Another link leads to the videos on YouTube featuring information on the police force, ongoing investigations and other advisories." As reader groschke writes, though, "Their access to user data raises significant civil liberties problems. They may be able to see more of your data than your friends or network members can — and you also expose your friends' data when you add the application. All without needing a subpoena or warrant."

Comments

No . . . not really

[OverlordQ]

They may be able to see more of your data than your friends or network members can -- and you also expose your friends' data when you add the application

Unless Facebook has given these people a special little hack into their API they can't get any more then any other facebook app can, and depending on your privacy settings, can turn out to be not much at all.

Re:No . . . not really

[MrNaz]

Hmm... Facebook will need some new options in a few of their option boxes:

Seargent Smith, please indicate how you know Mr. Badguy:
( ) We went to school together
( ) We hooked up
(x) I arresed him on felony charges

Re:No . . . not really

[Macthorpe]

Maybe I lived the sheltered life down in Devon, but neither of those things are exactly common occurences.

If you're referring to the fact that the police are actually fallible, meaning they aren't criminal-catching robot people who get it right 100% of the time, then I think you're the one with the problem here, not them.

Mistakes are made, things happen, and sometimes it's really, really shit and someone dies because of it. However, to pretend that the few mistakes they make cancel out the incredible amount of solved crimes they manage, even under the incredible crippling that the Labour government has inflicted on them with their target-based performance system, is disingenuous.

Uhhh...so?

[Anonymous Coward]

Dear god no! You reveal information to a public web site, and the police can read it without a warrant!

I'm as slippery slope as the next guy, but I see a huge difference between information placed on Facebook and limitles wiretaps. Or unreasonable searches. Or your passenger having $10 in pot can lead to the police taking, and selling, your car.

If you're trying to dodge an arrest warrant, well, perhaps you shouldn't be posting on Facebook, or driving erratically, or advertising on TV, or accepting that offer for free (insert whatever tickets/crap the police come up with).

Anonymous?

[daliman]

Somehow I have my doubts that any "anonymous" tips would really be all that anonymous...

The problem is with facebook, not the police

[explodingspleen]

"Their access to user data raises significant civil liberties problems. They may be able to see more of your data than your friends or network members can â" and you also expose your friends' data when you add the application. All without needing a subpoena or warrant."

Alright, we obviously don't understand what either of these are.

A subpoena is a court order for information. If you are able to provide it and don't, there will be trouble. This doesn't mean such information can't be handed over voluntarily at any time.

A warrant grants a privilege to the police to forcibly obtain information they would otherwise not be allowed to obtain through force. But you don't need a warrant when you have cooperation.

The best example I could give probably is this: you need a warrant to tap someone's phone line. You *don't* need a warrant to put a microphone on an undercover agent and try to cajole the information out of the guy, or to bug a hotel room and arrange a meeting there, or to go knocking door to door at the guy's neighbors' houses making inquiries.

Your problem should be with "Facebook" who is currently selling out its homies to cash in as an informant.

Why do you hate freedom so much?

[timmarhy]

Your free to not install the app. your free to not even be on facebook. this might end up catching crooks.

i'm not seeing how this is a privacy or civil rights issue. how about these people put their efforts to a better cause.

Re:The obvious recursion is ...

[Anonymous Coward]

I wonder how long until the first scammer starts posting with a police logo to blackmail children into paying cash money to the scammer or else they will reveal to their parents that they smoke weed or whatever.

I mean, #1 is don't post anything publicly that you wouldn't say to your own mother (says the AC, ha ha).

But I'll bet this can be exploited, and will be in the future.

And There's a Civil Liberties Issue How?

[OakLEE]

I'm as much a civil libertarian as the next guy, but let's get one thing straight:

Nobody has any expectation of privacy (reasonable or otherwise) in information they put on a website that is publicly accessible to other people.

If you write on a friend's facebook wall about how you got this "killer deal on pot" or how you "got this totally awesome handjob from a local hooker" and police find out and charge you, it's your own damn fault for being an idiot.

Furthermore, if you buddy wants to play confidential informant and sell you out to the government, that's a problem between you and your buddy, not between you and the government.

If you don't want police (or anyone) prying into your business, don't make information about said business publicly accessible.

The Future of Policing

[mrbluze]

TELEPHONE TRANSCRIPT:

Victim: Burglars have been at my house and it's been ransacked and my five year old daughter has been kidnapped!

Police officer: Hold on, how do you spell your name again *tap tap tap tap* .. oh wait, Google's working now.. whew!...

Victim: There's blood on the kitchen floor and..

Police officer: Yeah yeah.. whatever.. oh, I found pictures of your daughter, she was on facebook.

Victim: Facebook?

Police officer: But I'm afraid we have no leads. She hasn't used her facebook account for a while.. oh well, sorry about that.

Victim: So when am I going to see a police officer?

Police officer: Well you can chat to me online.. do you have Yahoo?

*CLICK*