The FBI on Facebook: Watching every move you make

[Renew Deal]

<snip>
Yesterday brought yet more proof that putting all your personal eggs into a social network basket may not be such a hot idea, especially if you (or your friends) stumble into the crosshairs of law enforcement.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation released documents it acquired via a Freedom of Information Act request about federal activity on social networks. Among them: a Department of Justice presentation on how to use Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, and so on to gather intel on suspects and witnesses, friendly or otherwise.

(My theory: They finally heard about Mafia Wars on Facebook and decided to take a closer look.)

The document implies cops are going undercover -- using false identities to befriend suspects and learn more about them -- which violates the terms of service for most of these networks. (You never lie on your Facebook profile, do you?)

The arguments given for going undercover: "communicate with suspects/targets; gain access to nonpublic info; map social relationships/networks."

So if the feds are investigating one of your Facebook/MySpace/Twitter buddies, they could very well be investigating you. And if they're adding you to that "social map," what about your friends? At what point does the map stop? Does it even have borders?

Another key question: If an agent violates a service's TOS, is the evidence he or she gathers admissible in court? The documents ask this question; unfortunately, they don't answer it, nor do they explicitly state anyone is doing this.

Still, you gotta figure they are. Cops have been infiltrating "suspicious" organizations for years, mostly with good intent, sometimes with a political agenda attached. It's natural to assume they'd do it in the virtual world, but in the past you had to be an active member of such an org to fall under suspicion; now all you need to do is say yes to the wrong friend request.

I know what some of you are saying: "I never use Facebook/Twitter etc, so I'm not worried." But not using these things is not an option for many of us; that's like saying "I never use a phone because it might be tapped." (By the way, it probably is -- at least, the data stream.) It's also a little like saying, "I only use a typewriter because computers are the devil's spawn."

The only logical response is to be a lot less cavalier about the information you share and with whom you share it. So let's just say it: The social networking honeymoon is officially over. Time to get a lot more serious about what we do and don't do online.

http://www.infoworld.com/d/adventures-in-it/fbi-facebook-watching-every-move-you-make-954?page=0,1

http://www.pcworld.com/article/191688/your_next_facebook_friend_could_be_a_federal_agent.html

View the presentation here: http://www.eff.org/files/filenode/social_network/20100303__crim_socialnetworking.pdf

[L0oniX]

1. More work for agent Mike ...job security.

[Better Today]

2. This is ridiculous to be outraged over. It's just another form of undercover work, AND

most importantly, if you only want friends that you know reading your FB page then keep it private and only accept friends you actually know. This is not anything to get excited or indignant about unless and until they can access FB data without "friending" you,

[truebrit71]

3. In this day and age why don't you think they already have that capability?

...

[nebenaube]

7. uh...

Never heard of or read Facebook's developer api have you? Read the terms of service on that little feature.

[Lex]

4. I stopped talking on the phone because the FBI bugs phones too.

j/k

[chrisa]

10. I hear they also install fiberoptic cameras in your showerheads.

And don't even get me started on the mindcontrol chips that the Dentist puts in.

:hide:

[OnlinePoker]

5. I only signed onto facebook...

...to play Farmville and Mafia Wars. I have hundreds of "friends" that I've never met and never sent any messages to. In fact, since November, I've chatted once and that was with my sister.

[NightWatcher]

6. now Agent Mike knows that you added a banana tree to your farm

[monmouth]

8. I got off of Facebook because of the whackos there. Nasty bunch...n/t

[chrisa]

11. I got spammed on there.

I think companies are making false personas now. I got bot spam that asked for my e-mail, with of course having the picture of a model. I added the bot to my friends list accidentally without know it was a bot, so I'm sure all of my facebook friends got bot-spammed too.

That was my fault, though, for adding somebody I didn't know.

[chrisa]

12. Duplicate post

:dilemma: :banghead:

[Lex]

13. your friends?

that's who I interact with there--the friends I add.

[monmouth]

14. I interacted with friends also but many of them went right-wing whacko

and started with the religious stuff...Ugh, I said goodbye. The polls there were disturbing also. Very anti-Obama for the most part.

[Lex]

15. I didn't add the "poll" app so I don't see that.

I guess I don't have that many right-winger religious nut friends. A couple I've put on restricted status so I don't see their status updates and they don't see mine. That takes of those few.

Otherwise, it's been nice staying in touch with some people I like that normally wouldn't get much interaction with because of distance or time constraints.

[WeekendWarrior]

9. And we care, why?

Welcome to the digital age, folks. We all signed on knowing that places like Facebook and Myspace and Twitter are public and easily accessed. Why should we be outraged when law enforcement decides to use it as an investigative tool?

I refuse to have a knee-jerk reaction when it comes to this stuff. As long as the justice department is using legal channels to obtain information, I see nothing wrong. And violating the terms of service on a website has absolutely nothing to do with violating the law.

The OP's post is alarmist at best, and just plain silly.

And HELLO? Who ever said we SHOULDN'T be serious about what we do and don't do online? I mean, DUH.