Fed Agents Going Undercover on Social Networks Like Facebook and MySpace, Justice Dept. Report Says

facebook-logoBy Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com

WASHINGTON — Well, social networking isn’t just for socializing anymore.

An internal Justice Department document obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows federal agents are going undercover on such social networks as Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter to investigate cases, according to the Associated Press.

The AP reports that agents are logging on to identify ” suspects, identify a target’s friends or relatives and browse private information such as postings, personal photographs and video clips.”

The social networks also allows investigators to check on suspects’ alibis “by comparing stories told to police with tweets sent at the same time about their whereabouts. Online photos from a suspicious spending spree — people posing with jewelry, guns or fancy cars — can link suspects or their friends to robberies or burglaries,” AP reported.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based civil liberties group, obtained the Justice Department document in connection to a lawsuit, AP reported.

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