Private Eyes, They're Watching You: Law Enforcement’s Monitoring of Social Media
Rachel Levinson-Waldman · University of Oklahoma College of Law - Digital Commons (University of Oklahoma) · 2019
IntroductionSocial media is a powerful tool that gives people the chance to connect and interact with others from all over the world.Users on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can easily chat or share videos and pictures with friends and connections in their city or across the world.On most social media sites, all that is generally required to connect and interact with another user is becoming "friends" with, or a "follower" of, that user.Many social media profiles are public, allowing anyone else on that platform to view postings, pictures, or videos.While most social media sites provide privacy settings to protect profiles so only friends or followers can see them, many people still have at least one social media account where they are "friends" with someone else who may not be a direct friend-or someone with whom they did not intentionally choose to connect.Indeed, social media users are frequently bombarded with "friend requests" from strangers or remote acquaintances, and they may sometimes find it easier to accept the request than spend time determining whether or how they know the person.