Social media can be problematic for professionals who don't want their
bosses to see unflattering college party photos. But it’s even worse for
people whose livelihood literally depends on anonymity, like undercover
cops. What happens if the gang you’ve infiltrated finds your grinning
mug in Facebook photos from the police union annual picnic?
We’ve
seen how easily biometrics can be used to identify people based on their
Internet photos, using something as simple as an iPhone app. Cops
themselves are using this technology to ID people on the street — so why
wouldn’t intrepid motorcycle gang leaders do the same?
The
Australian Federal Police is researching how social media may impact
covert ops. In a survey last winter, they found the vast majority of law
enforcement officers were using social media — 90 percent of females
and 81 percent of males, with Facebook and Twitter the top two sites,
respectively. Nearly half of those surveyed said they used the sites
daily, while another 24 percent used them weekly, according to
ComputerWorld Australia.