Social Media isn’t just a place to network or to connect with friends or family. In fact, law enforcement officials have been using social media as well – to help solve crimes because of the valuable amount of data that it provides them. For example, while the photos and status updates you uploaded were meant for friends, law enforcement often uses this information as a way to provide valuable clues towards solving crimes such as identifying someone or the location where a photo (and subsequent crime) was taken.
In addition to convicting criminals, social media has been used by 80% of law enforcement to solve crimes.
Below are some of the important facets on how social media has been used to help solve crime – along with the major networks law enforcement officials use most often.