As social networking continues to evolve and expand, the opportunities for deviant and criminal behavior have multiplied. Social Networking as a Criminal Enterprise explores how new avenues for social networking criminality have affected our criminal justice system.With insight from field experts, this book examines:The history of social networking
This book is the first extensive study of criminal networks The case study designs and analytical paths are straightforward and can serve as a source for future research endeavours using a variety of data sources
Social media have accelerated communication, expanded business horizons and connected millions of individuals who otherwise would never have met. But not everything social media touch turns to gold--much of it is brass. Social networking sites are used by scammers, criminals and sexual predators, and many people now self-diagnose illness based on misinformation shared online. Businesses make great claims about social media as a marketing tool but few show any real returns. We communicate through social media but are we really saying anything? Is social media doomed to be a conduit of narcissism or can it become a channel for responsible communication? Can social networking overcome its manifold violations of privacy? Must we sacrifice our identities in order to tweet or "friend" our associates? This book examines some of the legal and ethical issues surrounding social media, their impact on civil discourse and their role in suicides, murders and criminal enterprise.
Discussing social media-related scholarship found in criminology, legal studies, policing, courts, corrections, victimization, and crime prevention, this book presents the current state of our knowledge on the impact of social media and the major sociological frameworks employed to study the U.S. justice system. Building a theoretical framework for the study of social media and criminal justice in each chapter, the chapters provide a systematic reflection of extant research on social media in cybercrime, operations of courts, administration of institutional and community corrections, law enforcement, and crime prevention. The book fills the gap between the contemporary state of knowledge regarding social media and criminal justice with respect to both empirical evidence and types of sociological frameworks being employed to explore and identify the societal costs and benefits of our growing dependence upon social media. In addition to providing an up-to-date overview of our current state of knowledge, this book highlights important areas of future research, wherein the benefits of social media can be expanded and the negative aspects of its broadening use can be minimized. Social Media and Criminal Justice will be of interest to students, scholars and practitioners in the areas of judicial administration, corrections management, law enforcement, and criminal justice-engaged community-based nonprofit organizations involved in court-referred treatment and/or active collaboration with local law enforcement agencies.
This innovative collection of original essays showcases the use of social networks in the analysis and understanding of various forms of crime. More than any other past research endeavor, the seventeen chapters in this book apply to criminology the many conceptual and methodological options from social network analysis. Crime and Networks is the only book of its kind that looks at the use of networks in understanding crime, and can be used for advanced undergraduate and beginner’s graduate level courses in criminal justice and criminology.
The mass utilization of social networking sites, social media applications, and mobile devices such as cellphones and tablets as a standard for social interaction has become a global phenomenon. These tools have caused a paradigm shift within the communications field, law enforcement agencies, and the criminal justice system. During the 1980's Congress was faced with the dawn of the computer age. There were many states which did have laws in place to adequately address crimes committed using technology. Congress chose to address federal computer-related offenses in a single, new statute, 18 U.S.C. ʹ 1030. Congressional concerns for problems associated with computer crime have been ongoing since enacting section 18 U.S.C. ʹ 1030. With the United States new war on terrorism and the global use of technology, in 2007 Congress approved the Protect America Act and the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. The need for law enforcement agencies to exploit technology such as social networking, social media and mobile devices in a criminal prosecution is imperative. The data posted by users onto social networking sites or critical data that becomes stored onto mobile devices could be valuable to criminal prosecutions. In a time where potentially state-sponsored hackers and rouge criminals are using cyber warfare, cyber espionage, and malware to attack individuals and the United States itself, it is vital that law enforcement agencies have effective critical investigative tools that allow them to evaluate critical volumes of digital evidence. Many ongoing criminal investigations deal with evidence found on mobile devices and cellular phones of suspects, involving social networking and social media applications. Offenders are utilizing technology to access infinite volumes of personal data that is readily available from social networking and interpersonal applications. Criminals have adopted mobile phones and other handheld devices as tools in committing criminal acts. Keywords: Professor Riddell, Cyber security, Digital Forensics, Computer Crimes, Social Networking, Social Media Artifacts, Social Media Policing.
This collection presents an analysis of illicit networks and discusses implications for law enforcement and crime prevention. The contributors draw on a range of methodologies and apply them to diverse international criminological settings, from illegal fishing in the Indo-Pacific to ‘money mule’ networks in the Netherlands. Using a variety of examples, the book elucidates how and why criminals form networks of cooperation and how they can be disrupted. It is expected to be of interest to those who study criminology or criminal law, as well as law enforcement practitioners.
The ubiquity of the internet and social media has influenced the lives of people across the globe, including young people involved in street gangs and troublesome youth groups. This development raises important questions about the causes, features, and consequences of online gang behavior, as well as the consequences of this new phenomenon for gang prevention and intervention. In this edited volume, members of an international network of gang researchers, the Eurogang Program of Research, present findings and insights from recent academic gang studies focused on the use of internet and social media. It focuses on online features of gangs and the consequences of social media for the study of these groups. The second section of the book focuses on the meaning of online media for the prevention, monitoring and intervention of gangs, and for gang disengagement processes. This is the first volume focused on the role of internet and social media in the study of gangs. Providing much needed insights into online gang processes, it will appeal to students and researchers interested in gangs and juvenile delinquency, and to professionals, practitioners, and policy-makers working on preventing or reducing gang involvement and delinquent behavior.
Mexico's Drug War and Criminal Networks examines the effects of technology on three criminal organizations: the Sinaloa cartel, the Zetas, and the Caballeros Templarios. Using social network analysis, and analyzing the use of web platforms Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, Nilda M. Garcia provides fresh insights on the organizational network, the central nodes, and the channels through which information flows in these three criminal organizations. In doing so, she demonstrates that some drug cartels in Mexico have adopted the usage of social media into their strategies, often pursuing different tactics in the search for new ways to dominate. She finds that the strategic adaptation of social media platforms has different effects on criminal organization’s survivability. When used effectively, coupled with the adoption of decentralized structures, these platforms do increase a criminal organization’s survival capacity. Nonetheless, if used haphazardly, it can have the opposite effect. Drawing on the fields of criminology, social network analysis, international relations, and organizational theory and featuring a wealth of information about the drug cartels themselves, Mexico's Drug War and Criminal Networks will be a great source for all those interested in the presence, behavior, purposes, and strategies of drug cartels in their forays into social media platforms in Mexico and beyond.
