FBI Hunts Fugitives on Social Media

We’ve all heard stories of law enforcement agencies trawling social media sites for information about people. Well the FBI in the US has gone one step further and is actively embracing the most popular forms of social media to hunt both fugitives and missing kids.

The FBI has recently launched public a public presence on several of the most popular social networking sites. These include a Twitter account (@FBIPressOffice), a Facebook page and a Youtube channel. They also have a number of most wanted widgets for you to embed in your own web page or blog as well as an iPhone app. In a somewhat surreal move the FBI is even erecting “most wanted” posters and billboards in Second Life!

John Miller, head of FBI Public Affairs, says:

To reach out to the public, we need to be where people are – and we know tens of millions of people spend their time in social media sites. Adding our fugitives, missing kids, threat and scam warnings, and other information into these sites is an extension of what we’ve done for decades – enlisting the help and support of concerned citizens around the globe to keep communities safer.

All of this makes a lot of sense, but part of me can’t help wondering: if the FBI are this socially switched on, how much are they doing that they don’t tell us about?