Using Social Networks to Solve Crimes
In this paper, the author investigates the use of the popular Social Networking Site (SNS) Facebook to solve crimes. In particular, the author uses car thefts as a case study. When a car owner discovers that his or her vehicle has been stolen, every means helps to recover the vehicle. Reporting the incident immediately to the police is obligatory, but alerting his or her network of friends on a social networking site about the misfortune could prove useful. In particular, the authors look into a real case study. This report answers several questions, such as: How useful can these sites be to help an owner recover the vehicle? How far can an appeal reach? What type of feedback do users send? The author analyzes how people create the appeal in Facebook and what information is shared.