Amu Cmrj 308 Essay Example

capacity to address cybercrime by forming proactive investigative units that monitor online criminals (Hunt and Moore, 2007, p. 87). Nevertheless, it is crucial to acknowledge that law enforcement officials using the Internet might unknowingly breach ethical codes and statutes. Moreover, the Internet provides numerous platforms for accessing individuals' personal information.

As more people share their information online, it has become easier for both law enforcement officers and everyday citizens to access and potentially exploit it. Platforms like MySpace allowed users to upload pictures and share music and movie preferences. However, Facebook has become the dominant platform, growing significantly since its launch and now having over 835,525,280 users worldwide (Internet World Stats, 2012).

Facebook allows users to share personal information, like past addresses and details about their meals. Some users limit access to their profiles only for friends, while others make them public. Law enforcement agencies have used these platforms to help solve crimes. In 2012, Erica Ritz reported in The Blaze about a case where a teenager from Kentucky was arrested and jailed for forty-eight hours after making a sarcastic comment on her Facebook profile about a drunk hit-and-run incident.

While law enforcement officials can utilize social media platforms to aid in solving crimes, they need to exercise caution and avoid jumping to conclusions solely based on individuals' posts. The case of Brandon Raub in Richmond, Va., serves as an example where wrongful arrest occurred due to his anti-government Facebook posts and questioning of the official 9/11 story (Howerton, 2012). This incident emphasizes the significance of being careful as more people share content on social media. When conducting crime investigations, officers should

responsibly examine shared social media content while upholding ethical standards.

Various new mobile devices, like smart phones, tablets, and in-car computers, are utilized by officers to aid crime investigations. These devices provide access to various types of information. Although they grant valuable access to personal information on individuals being investigated, they also carry the risk of potential misuse. For instance, police cars now have personal computers capable of retrieving details from criminal and state websites. This includes not just a person's address but also their previous arrest records or traffic violations.

Former Forsyth County Sheriff Deputy Johnson (2012) reported that officers have been utilizing in-car computers to look up personal information about women they are attracted to, which is both unethical and illegal. This misconduct is not exclusive to local law enforcement agencies, as the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has also faced backlash for conducting surveillance on individuals through their smartphones. In fact, Watson (2012) details how Supervisor Special Agent Christopher K. tracked people using a Dell Vostro notebook during March 2012.

Stangl, a member of both the FBI Regional Cyber Action Team and the New York FBI Office Evidence Response Team, recently discovered a breach using Java's Atomic Reference Array vulnerability. This breach resulted in the download of numerous files, ultimately exposing a list that contained information about 12,367 Apple iOS devices. The list included Unique Device Identifiers (UDIDs), user names, device names, device types, Apple Push Notification Service tokens, zip codes, cellphone numbers, addresses, and more.

Given the constant evolution and increasing integration of technology into our daily lives, law enforcement officers and their departments are facing growing

challenges in adapting to and keeping up with these advancements.

This pertains to both the tools utilized for crime investigation and ensuring that their line officers and supervisors act ethically. If there is not ongoing training regarding the expectations of an officer, there is a higher likelihood of ethical misconduct when new technology emerges. The future and its potential consequences due to technological advancements are uncertain, but if officers understand the ethical boundaries, it will uphold the community's trust.