The internet provides a platform where individuals have the ability of remaining anonymous trading insults, while other people publishes confessional memoirs and articles without the fear of being recognized. However, this identity less platform provides a perfect alibi where criminals engage in criminal activities. Therefore, law enforcers have been forced to adopt new technologies to find a solution to crimes committed off and online. For example, researchers have postulated that a detailed analysis and penetration of the internet contents on social media and various other platforms plays an imperative role in solving terrorists and murder plots. This is conducted through a revelation of the person behind the identity-less messages. Therefore, the focus of this paper is an evaluation of how the internet is used to solve crimes such as the use of forensic linguistics, crowdsourcing, crime-mapping and fingerprint comparison.
The complexity of global crime has risen owing to the recent developments in the development of technology information and technology. The current globe is characterized by a revolution in the way crimes are committed and experts in the field have expressed that threats in the global economy have increased. This has been marked by a transition of crimes aiming at exploiting to destruction and disruption. The internet has been identified as an essential tool, which facilitates fighting of crimes for it facilitates the identification of criminals through the use of various tools and techniques. The law enforcement agencies have adopted these various techniques such as data mining, sensors, open sources and closed sources through the collection and sharing of information about a crime or an illegal activity.
The internet presents an important platform where police can obtain information that would otherwise be inaccessible to the public. The law enforcement agencies have the ability of accessing billions of records and information at the click of a button. It enhances tracking of people’s activities and identifies their locations with ease for a long period of time. Law enforcement agencies appreciate the importance of the internet since it requires little effort for one to get a lot of information. The social media has also been identified as an essential platform where the law enforcement agencies find criminal evidence with ease. Forensic linguistics is among the most essential technique used by law enforcement agencies, since online interactions have become an inevitable platform where communications among people take place. The internet sources do not provide biometric traces that can be used to trace criminals. However, linguistic cues, which reflect the individual patterns of expression, are used for investigations and evidential purposes. For example, text messages, tweets, online chats, status updates and comments can be tracked for the purpose of investigations and collection of evidence.
According to researchers, every person develops a distinctive manner of texting through shortened messages. Distinctive details and analysis has long been used by law enforcers to for the conduct of comparative analysis of an author of a certain message. It facilitates the identification of an author from a selection of suspected authors. Forensic linguistics have been used to source incriminating evidence through laying emphasis on particular details such as greetings and sign off. The technique has been used to identify murder suspects and unfold conspiracies adopted by criminals. In some cases linguistic evidence assist the law enforcers to establish other circumstantial evidence about a suspect. Forensic linguistics is also essential in criminal profiling where the identity of the suspect is unknown. The style of writing can enable the investigators to establish the gender, age and the background of the author enabling the building of the profile. This is because a style of writing can help identify whether one is a native speaker or whether it is a man or woman. This because women have a higher tendency of addressing the reader directly and ask rhetorical questions as compared to men, while men tend to approach conversations using an informational style of writing.
Crowdsourcing is another internet technique used in solving crimes, and it involves the distribution or outsourcing of workloads across undefined groups of people using an open call. As a security measure, the technique involves the connection of a community of like-minded, trained and trusted individuals in the solving of a problem concerning a certain particular threat. The sharing of information is limited within a few community based industries and the government. Law enforcement agencies have adopted the technique of crowdsourcing for the purpose of enabling the identification and location of criminals on the run by the public. The development of technology and infrastructure have enabled the maturation in the adoption of this technique, which has become an essential means through which law enforcers leverage the eyes of the public. This enables criminals to be brought to justice with ease. There are many crowdsourcing examples in the US such as the “America Missing”, “Broadcast Emergency Response” and AMBERAlert System. These systems have been used by law enforcement agencies in involving the crowds in the establishment of a solution to criminal activities (Cyber2 2).
Crime mapping entails technique used by law enforcement agencies to visualize, map and analyze a crime through the learning of patterns and it comprises an essential component in the analysis of crime. The increased growth of the internet has led to an increase in the adoption of crime mapping technology that facilitates law enforcement agencies to correlate and analyze data, enabling the creation of a detailed snapshot of a criminal activity within a certain geographical area or community. Crime mapping has been an essential technique used by law enforcers to provide information about a crime incident and its location. This also enables identification of the resources required and the information that should be passed to the community about crime changes in such a community. The internet has also provided an essential platform where law enforcement agencies compare the fingerprints of suspects. This enables the identification of the criminals and matching such individuals with their historical criminal record. The image fingerprints present new technological innovation, which have been developed with the growing use of the internet to facilitate the prevention of crime and enhance the performance of police and other law enforcement agencies.
In conclusion, the internet has been essential in facilitating law enforcement agencies improve their performance in the prevention of crime. There are various techniques, which have been developed with the growing use of the internet. For example, forensic linguistics is among the modern technologies, which have been developed in enhancing the development of a criminal profile as well as identify and collect incriminating evidence. Crowdsourcing, crime mapping and fingerprint comparison techniques have all been enhanced using the modern techniques promoted by the use of the internet.
Works Cited
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Evans, Maire Byrne, et al. "Crime Applications and Social Machines:." (2013): 891-895.
Goldhill, Olivia. "Digital detectives: solving crimes through Twitter." 24 July 2013. The Telegraph. 3 July 2014 <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/internet-security/10198067/Digital-detectives-solving-crimes-through-Twitter.html>.
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