When Criminals Go Social, So Do The Good Guys

(This is a repost from http://bit.ly/fYnmmA)


As more and more people use various social media channels to communicate with friends, family, customers and clients, criminals and other lawless groups are also taking advantage of the convenience & anonymity of the internet to expand their nefarious activities.

Fortunately, authorities in various countries are working hard to be in step with the times and are now actively using social media to protect law-abiding citizens from people who threaten their life, liberty and property.

One interesting case is how the Philippine police successfully used social networking sites to hunt down and stop a fiery gang leader named Ivan Padilla.

Criminal Tweets

At age 23, Ivan at first glance, would look like any young man you would bump into in any of the affluent districts in Manila. He wears the latest outfits, hangs out with friends in the trendiest bars & clubs, drives expensive cars, likes high tech gadgets and dates a lot of pretty women.

There's just one major detail that sets Ivan from the rest though: Ivan is also the leader of one of the most vicious and notorious carjacking gangs in operating Metropolitan Manila & its suburbs.His group (mostly in their late teens and early 20s) includes pretty & curvaceous young women whose job is to befriend and identify target victims. They extensively use Facebook and Twitter to coordinate criminal activities using coded messages.

Image from IT Pinoy

According to the police, Ivan's group has successfully stole or robbed at gunpoint dozens of luxury cars including one owned by the Philippine Foreign Minister. The gang was also involved with several robberies in some of the more posh residential areas in Manila.

Facebook And Twitter To The Rescue

However, the gang's use of social networks also proved to be their undoing. With the arrest of a key gang member who readily gave the police access to his Facebook & Twitter accounts, authorities were able to identify other syndicate members, track down their past and present movements and learn more about their 'modus operandi'. They also uncovered coded Tweets to other gang members on areas they were planning to strike in the future.

The long arm of the law finally caught up with gang leader Ivan Padilla when information from Twitter told authorities his whereabouts. After a brief hollywood-style car chase and shoot out with the police operatives, the young gang leader died on the way to the hospital after sustaining a gunshot wound on the head. Police are still hunting down the rest of the gang members including their good looking  lady cohorts at this time.

Law Enforcement And Social Media

All over the world, law enforcement officials are taking advantage of the benefits of social media not just to stop criminals but also to reach out to the community and help out in other emergency cases. Here's a few of them:

• In Australia, the NSW State Police has it's own Twitter, Facebook and even Youtube accounts to help facilitate interaction between the public and the police force.

• The Philippine National Police has a dedicated 24-hour hot line and officer monitoring their Twitter, SMS, Facebook and Instant Messaging accounts for any information that would help in any of its criminal investigations.

• In the USA, the Boston police monitors tweets so they can be more proactive when it comes to emergencies. It's more of a early warning system they have in place to protect the community.
  

• In Canada, the Toronto police has been very proactive in communicating its messages to the public as well as asking their help to solve crimes using Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. 
 

• In India, the Mumbai's Traffic Police has maintains a Facebook page to encourage citizens to help out in reporting traffic jams and snarls around the city.
  

The list goes on and as more and more people make social networking sites and other forms of social media a part of their daily lives, law enforcers need to be there to in order to fulfill its duty to serve and protect.

At the end of the day, social media is NOT about sites and tools. It's really about communities. While there have been questions on whether law enforcement officials should be monitoring their online information, it would be fool hardy for any government not to have any social media presence for the simple yet compelling reason: it is where people are hanging out.

If government agencies and traditional organizations such as the police have recognized the importance of social media to get in touch with the community, how much more for businesses and professionals?

The Army Doesn't Fear Social Media, So Why Should You?

(this is a repost from http://bit.ly/c9z7oV)

One the reasons why many businesses are still hesitant to embrace social media as part of their overall operations is their fear of losing control over sensitive company information. Many executives and business owners are quite nervous over what employees and officers may tweet or post in their blogs and other social networks.

We cannot blame business owners for these worries. After all, industrial espionage and online reputation sabotage is a real menace and companies all over the world do spend a small fortune to secure classified and even mundane information ( from delivery schedules to the latest production and even details on the latest corporate meetings) lest it falls on "enemy" ears and hands..

Banning Isn't The Answer

However, totally banning the use of social media tools and sites from the work place isn't a very realistic solution. All employees do have a life outside the office and whether employers accept it or not, they WILL talk about work whether the location is inside a pub or over the dinner table in their own homes.

What's is not sure however, is if the topic of conversation is flattering to your business or not. This where executives & businessmen can actually learn a thing or two from a most unlikely organization: the military.

The Military Embraces Social Media

In a recent report, the Telegraph reported that a British army battalion commander will start tweeting during his six month tour of duty in Afghanistan. Lieutenant Colonel Dougie Graham commanding officer of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, a force of about 450 soldiers, plans to tweet regular updates on his unit so that families back home can get in touch with them constantly. It is also a way to get messages of support from the home front to the men.

(Image fromVolunteers for Servicemen & Veterans)

Lt. Colonel Graham also said that he and the British Defence Ministry are in discussions on the content to be posted and other issues before going live very soon. He added that opening a Twitter account is the natural thing to do since all of his friends and that of his men communicate regularly via social media such as Facebook, Myspace and of course, Twitter.

Now, if there's one organization that should be understandably paranoid on social media, that should be the military. After all, it's all about life and death. Ever heard of the saying: 'Loose lips, sink ships'? That's how serious the Defence establishment is with regards to information security and management but now the ministry is very open to such initiatives, with some caveats of course.

It is not only the British armed services that has opened its doors and minds to the use of social media.

Even the United States military has recently reversed a total ban on the use of social media among its soldiers. Of course, there were some guidelines and other rules in place to ensure security is not compromised but on the whole and as a general rule, soldiers can communicate freely with friends and family using social media tools.

Social Media Strategy & Policy Is The Key

Given these very welcome developments, shouldn't businesses shed off its fear of social media and start using it to grow their business?

Based on the examples shown by the US and British military, companies need to have a social media strategy and policy to ensure everyone is in the same the page and understands the risks and benefits involved.

For sure, the Defence establishment has realized the enormous benefits to both morale and public relations if they loosen up their social media policy while businesses should realize that their employees' personal social network can contribute to the over all growth of their operations. That is an untapped network of prospective customers who already trust a member of their organization, a source for new & talented employees and 24/7 channels that exposes and enhances your company's brand image.

In summary, you cannot stop your employees from talking about your business. However, businesses can influence the messages your own people will be relaying to their own personal social networks and make it work positively for the company.