November 24, 2011 (Press-News.org) Increased participation on social networking sites has resulted in law enforcement officers in New York and across the nation to turn to sites such as Facebook for information and evidence.
Officers can use information found on individual users' pages to track their location, view photos and other personal information shared on their profiles. And it is not just information made public by the users' privacy settings. Facebook's privacy agreement allows Facebook to share information posted on the website with law enforcement officials if there is a good faith belief that the law requires exposure of the information.
Facebook will divulge information about its users to law enforcement if there is a good faith belief that it is necessary for any of the following reasons:
- To prevent, detect or address any illegal behavior
- To protect against violations of Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities
- To prevent unavoidable bodily harm or death
Catching Suspects Using Facebook
In the last few months there have been multiple reports of authorities in numerous states -- including New York -- using Facebook as an investigative tool to capture individuals suspected of criminal behavior. Some of these reports include:
- Officers using Facebook to identify criminals based on descriptions given by victims.
- Investigators, looking into the murder of a New York woman, found rap lyrics about murder on a Brooklyn man's Facebook status. He was later accused of killing his girlfriend and charged with possession of a deadly weapon.
- A Texas detective using a Facebook status to track down and apprehend a suspect at a club where the suspect was celebrating his birthday.
- Police departments in Texas using Facebook to track locations and capture criminals who have escaped officers in previous attempts at apprehension.
Anything you write or post on the Internet, from Facebook and Twitter to a personal blog, can be used as evidence in criminal investigations and trials. It is important to keep this in mind; be careful about posting your personal information, pictures, plans and whereabouts on Facebook or other social media sites.
Article provided by Law Offices of Mark J. Sacco, PLLC
Visit us at www.mjsacco.com
Law Enforcement Officials Turning to Facebook as a Crime Fighting Tool
Facebook is quickly becoming an important source of legal and investigative evidence. New York law enforcement officials are using the information on Facebook profiles to apprehend criminal suspects.
2011-11-24
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Researchers develop method for advancing development of antipsychotic drugs
2011-11-24
RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 23, 2011) – Researchers interested in the treatment of schizophrenia and dementia have clarified how antipsychotic drugs that target a complex of two receptors at the surface of cells in the brain work, according to a new study published online Nov. 23 in the journal Cell.
The multidisciplinary team included researchers from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, together with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy in Baltimore. In an earlier, but related study, the Mount Sinai ...
Mite-y genomic resources for bioenergy crop protection
2011-11-24
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. -- For a pest that isn't quite the size of a comma on a keyboard, the two-spotted spider mite can do a disproportionate amount of damage. These web-spinners extract the nutrients they need from leaves of more than a thousand different plant species, including bioenergy feedstocks and food staples. The cost of chemically controlling spider mites to counteract reduced harvest yields hovers around $1 billion annually, reflecting their significant economic impact.
With a 90-million nucleotide genome, the smallest of those that belong to the group of animals ...
Caltech scientists point to link between missing synapse protein and abnormal behaviors
2011-11-24
PASADENA, Calif. -- Although many mental illnesses are uniquely human, animals sometimes exhibit abnormal behaviors similar to those seen in humans with psychological disorders. Such behaviors are called endophenotypes. Now, researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have found that mice lacking a gene that encodes a particular protein found in the synapses of the brain display a number of endophenotypes associated with schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders.
The new findings appear in a recent issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, with Mary ...
Scientific sleuths pinpoint the guilty coral killers
2011-11-24
The elusive culprits that are killing countless coral reefs around the world can now be nabbed with technology normally used to diagnose human diseases, marine researchers say.
Coral researchers and reef managers will be able to identify coral infections using a new method that allows them to classify specific diseases based on the presence of microbes.
This could lead to more effective action to reduce the impact of disease on the world's imperilled coral reefs.
"Current classification of coral diseases is mostly based on a description of how the coral has deteriorated, ...
What Is Workers' Compensation in Pennsylvania?
2011-11-24
The Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act gives injured workers valuable rights. They include payment of medical bills, wage loss compensation, disfigurement awards for work-related facial and neck scars and awards for specific loss of use of a body part (ex. - leg, hand, finger, etc). The following are key points that workers should know about workers' compensation in Pennsylvania.
Workers' Compensation Benefits for Work-Related Injuries
According to the Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation Act, employers must give their full-time, part-time and seasonal employees ...
Blossom end rot: Transport protein identified
2011-11-24
Blossom end rot on tomatoes and cucumbers, bitter-pit in apples – these unpleasant blemishes on fruits and vegetables not only compromises the flavor but also causes significant harvest losses every year. The characteristic blotches and spotting can be traced back to insufficient calcium uptake or faulty calcium transport within the plant. Consequently, the damage can occur even if the soil provides sufficient calcium. A team under the leadership of scientists from the University of Zurich and Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea, has for the first time identified ...
Spider mite's secrets revealed
2011-11-24
The tiny two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae) causes much anxiety for farmers, and has been, to date, a scientific mystery. It feeds on over 1,100 species of plants, including 150 greenhouse plants and crops, such as maize, soy, tomatoes and citrus. The cost of chemically controlling damage caused by the spider mite exceeds USD 1 billion per year. In the latest issue of the journal Nature, a multinational consortium of scientists publish the sequenced genome of the spider mite, revealing how it is capable of such feeding frenzy, as well as other secrets of this ...
Enhanced treatment of brain tumors
2011-11-24
Glioblastoma is regarded as the most malignant form of brain tumor. In many cases, neurosurgeons are not able to remove such tumors completely because of the risk of destroying too much brain tissue in the process. Moreover, it is often impossible to identify all the fine extensions by which the tumor spreads into surrounding healthy tissue. To at least slow down the growth of tumor cells that have remained in the head, almost all glioblastoma patients are treated by radiotherapy after surgery.
"Unfortunately, we can only delay cancerous growth in this way, but we cannot ...
Fault and Liability in California Slip and Fall Accidents
2011-11-24
Countless people sustain injuries each year while on the property of another person or business. Some of these injuries could have been prevented if the owner, manager or occupier of the property had taken basic safety precautions or behaved as a reasonable person would have in the same situation.
Every slip and fall or trip and fall accident does not automatically result in a personal injury claim, but some of them do. It takes a skilled personal injury attorney to know the difference between a frivolous case and one that is likely to succeed. Slip and fall, trip and ...
Closer to a cure for eczema
2011-11-24
Scientists have found that a strain of yeast implicated in inflammatory skin conditions, including eczema, can be killed by certain peptides and could potentially provide a new treatment for these debilitating skin conditions. This research is published today in the Society for Applied Microbiology's journal, Letters in Applied Microbiology.
20% of children in the UK suffer from atopic eczema and whilst this usually clears up in adolescence, 7% of adults will continue to suffer throughout their lifetime. Furthermore, this type of eczema, characterized by dry, itchy, flaking ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
New study offers insights into how populations conform or go against the crowd
Development of a high-performance AI device utilizing ion-controlled spin wave interference in magnetic materials
WashU researchers map individual brain dynamics
Technology for oxidizing atmospheric methane won’t help the climate
US Department of Energy announces Early Career Research Program for FY 2025
PECASE winners: 3 UVA engineering professors receive presidential early career awards
‘Turn on the lights’: DAVD display helps navy divers navigate undersea conditions
MSU researcher’s breakthrough model sheds light on solar storms and space weather
Nebraska psychology professor recognized with Presidential Early Career Award
New data shows how ‘rage giving’ boosted immigrant-serving nonprofits during the first Trump Administration
Unique characteristics of a rare liver cancer identified as clinical trial of new treatment begins
From lab to field: CABBI pipeline delivers oil-rich sorghum
Stem cell therapy jumpstarts brain recovery after stroke
Polymer editing can upcycle waste into higher-performance plastics
Research on past hurricanes aims to reduce future risk
UT Health San Antonio, UTSA researchers receive prestigious 2025 Hill Prizes for medicine and technology
Panorama of our nearest galactic neighbor unveils hundreds of millions of stars
A chain reaction: HIV vaccines can lead to antibodies against antibodies
Bacteria in polymers form cables that grow into living gels
Rotavirus protein NSP4 manipulates gastrointestinal disease severity
‘Ding-dong:’ A study finds specific neurons with an immune doorbell
A major advance in biology combines DNA and RNA and could revolutionize cancer treatments
Neutrophil elastase as a predictor of delivery in pregnant women with preterm labor
NIH to lead implementation of National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act
Growth of private equity and hospital consolidation in primary care and price implications
Online advertising of compounded glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists
Health care utilization and costs for older adults aging into Medicare after the affordable care act
Reading the genome and understanding evolution: Symbioses and gene transfer in leaf beetles
Brains of people with sickle cell disease appear older
Elena Belova and Yevgeny Raitses recognized for groundbreaking plasma physics research
[Press-News.org] Law Enforcement Officials Turning to Facebook as a Crime Fighting ToolFacebook is quickly becoming an important source of legal and investigative evidence. New York law enforcement officials are using the information on Facebook profiles to apprehend criminal suspects.