Facebook.com were popular, but I was shocked at the extent.

Myspace.com claims over 200 million users (although it’s unclear

how many of those are active). What’s even more staggering is that

Facebook.com claims 350 million active users, and those numbers

are still growing (Facebook overtook MySpace in active users in late

2008). The number of unique visitors on Facebook grew by over

150% between June 07 and June 08, according to Comscore.com.

The sheer number of users makes it clear that these sitesand others

like them are an ENORMOUS resource for investigators and anyone

else looking for information. 

I was also surprised to learn that over half of Myspace.com visitors

are at least 35 years old. At least that’s the age they give when

they create their profile. I read through Myspace.com’s and

Facebook.com’s terms of use agreements and noticed that, on both

of these sites, one has to be at least 13 years old to be eligible to

create a profile. I’d bet a lot of money that there are plenty of kids

with a Myspace or Facebook page that are younger than that. Of

course that means that they are lying when they create their profile.

That may lead to some credibility issues in court.

Many law enforcement agencies utilize a variety of

websites, including Myspace.com and Facebook.com, as a means

of finding evidence and other information that supports their

investigation. They have varying degrees of success depending on

what their subjects have posted. After just a few minutes of

research, I was astonished at what I found people were posting on

their public pages. I found pictures of people posing with guns

and drugs. Others wrote on their message boards and blogs about

killing law enforcement officers and snitches. Underage kids had

posted pictures of themselves and their friends drinking at parties.

If all of these things are on public pages, I’m very curious about

what could possibly be on the private pages. If I were a criminal

defense lawyer, I would have my clients take down anything that

they’ve posted online for fear it could really be used against them.

These websites are clearly helpful to police officers and probation

officers. They can also be utilized by private investigators and

defense investigators. Not just Myspace.com and Facebook.com

either. Other sites, like Linkedin.com and Classmates.com, can have

valuable information.

Just by doing a quick Google search I was easily able to find a work

location and work schedule for one person I was recently trying to

find. That helped me pinpoint when they’d be home and I didn’t have

to waste my time on a stake out. Even finding out something as

simple as a favorite football team of a witness you have to interview

may help you build rapport. There are a million blogs and forums

out there about all kinds of things. Many cities have community

blogs where people write about crimes and other incidents that

occur where they live. News and other media sites also have blogs

and forums.

The amount of information out there is endless, and the internet

isn’t going anywhere. Blogs and networking sites will only get more

popular. If you have to conduct any type of investigation, start by

searching the internet. Learn as much as you can about your case

before you hit the streets.