The police took various tactics to catch the culprit. Many times they keep an eye on him. But what the Los Angeles police are doing in the United States has made the Facebook authorities worried. Police are monitoring other users by creating fake profiles on Facebook.
According to a BBC report, Facebook authorities recently filed a written complaint with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to prevent the opening of fake accounts for surveillance.
A recent report in The Guardian in the United Kingdom stated that the US Department of Police has begun working with a technology company to analyze user data to reduce crime.
Creating and using fake accounts on Facebook is strictly prohibited.
Facebook authorities say their goal is to create a safe environment in which people can have confidence and maintain accountability.
Roy Austin, Facebook’s vice president and civil rights lawyer, wrote a letter outlining Facebook’s policies. In it, he said, the Los Angeles Police Department is advising officers to open fake Facebook accounts. In addition, the documents show that the police department’s policy allows officers to create fake accounts for online investigative activities. While LAPD may have the legitimacy to make such a policy, police officers must adhere to Facebook’s policy when opening an account on Facebook.
The Facebook official called on police to stop using fake accounts, opening accounts in disguise and collecting information for surveillance.
According to documents from the nonprofit Brennan Center of Justice, in 2019 LAPD began using social media surveillance software for an organization called Voyager Labs. Using this software, the suspect has the opportunity to collect various information including social media networks, his friends’ accounts. Voyager Labs claims that their software can analyze huge data and provide information about the user’s motives or ideas, including crime suppression.
According to LAPD, using the software, they can find out the information of different gangs online. In addition, the software is useful to prevent robbery.
However, Facebook says it is against its purpose to spy on its users and disguise itself as legitimate users.
But Robert Potter, an Australian security expert, said the pseudonym could be justified for users in countries where human rights activists or journalists use online to protect privacy or have Internet censorship.