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Date: November 25, 2024 Mon
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Results for information technology
24 results foundAuthor: Davey, Christopher Title: New Media and the Courts: The Current Status and a Look at the Future Summary: Recently, jurors in a Florida drug case conducted independent Internet research causing the judge to declare a mistrial. In Arkansas, a juror‘s Twitter updates from the courtroom nearly scuttled the proceedings involving a multimillion-dollar civil judgment. From Twitter to Facebook to YouTube and Wikipedia, new Web-based digital media is transforming how citizens process information, and courts are beginning to examine the impact on a wide variety of their core functions. The Conference of Court Public Information Officers (CCPIO) undertook a yearlong, collaborative national research project to systematically examine this phenomenon and analyze its potential effects on the judiciary. The CCPIO New Media Project has five primary objectives:(1) clearly define the current technology, (2) systematically examine the ways courts use the technology, (3) empirically measure the perceptions of judges and top court administrators toward the technology, (4) collect and analyze the literature on public perceptions of the judiciary and court public outreach programs and (5) offer a framework and analysis for judges and court administrators to use for making decisions about the appropriate use of new media. Among the technologies examined are social media profile sites; smart phones, tablets and notebooks; news categorizing, sharing and syndication technologies; and visual media sharing sites. Government sectors at all levels are experimenting with many of these technologies hoping their collaborative capabilities can transform the relationship between governmental entities and their constituents. These new and emerging digital media technologies offer great potential; simultaneously there are significant inherent challenges specific to the judiciary. Ramifications range from the ability to ensure fair trials to building trust and confidence through public outreach and communication. Details: The Conference of Court Public Information Officers, 2010. 102p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 18, 2011 at: http://www.ccpio.org/documents/newmediaproject/New-Media-and-the-Courts-Report.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.ccpio.org/documents/newmediaproject/New-Media-and-the-Courts-Report.pdf Shelf Number: 121384 Keywords: CommunicationsCourts and the MediaInformation TechnologyPublic InformationTrials |
Author: Groff, Elizabeth Title: Identifying and Measuring the Effects of Information Technologies on Law Enforcement Agencies Summary: This guide by the Institute for Law and Justice provides information that will help police departments measure the effects of information technologies to support community policing activities. The guide is based on the results of an assessment of the COPS Office’s 2002 Making Officer Redeployment Effective (MORE) grantees; however, the results apply to any agency that is considering or has recently made a technology purchase. The guide is relevant to departments of all sizes and covers a variety of applications — automated field reporting systems, computer aided dispatch, records management systems, and others. The guide focuses on the three E’s–efficiency, effectiveness, and enabling–which identify the different ways the technology may affect agencies. The intent is to provide practical measures based on these three E’s for how information technologies contribute to achieving department goals and can be used to examine the merits of such expenditures. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, 2008. 86p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 4, 2011 at: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/files/RIC/Publications/e08084156-IT.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United States URL: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/files/RIC/Publications/e08084156-IT.pdf Shelf Number: 113061 Keywords: Community-Oriented PolicingComputersCrime AnalysisInformation Technology |
Author: Erez, Edna Title: Jihad, Crime, and the Internet - Content Analysis of Jihadist Forum Discussions Summary: The study’s findings indicate that most Jihadist on-line forum discussions are brief, involve a small number of participants from among the registered forum members, and include few entries and pages. Forum participants often refer viewers to approved web site and share authentic Jihadist multimedia. References and quotes from religious sources are common. Just over one-third of the discussions include calls for Jihad, and 3 percent of the communications discussed non-terrorist illegal activities, particularly computer-related and software-related offenses. Content analysis of the forum discussions identified four categories of content: information dissemination, religious preaching, instruction or training, and social interactions. These content categories support three core activities of the terrorist organization: ideological foundation, organizational structure, and operational means. Based on these findings the study offers a number of policy recommendations. First, analyze the forum discussions to determine the current status of Jihadist attention and interest. Second, respond to threats by adding interference at any touch point along the communication process. Third, mitigate the harm posed by exposure of Web site viewers to violent imagery. Fourth, the content of forum discussions could increase understanding of the context of the Arab, Muslim, and Jihadist milieu in which the forum social interactions occur. Recommendations for further research are offered. The peer reviews seriously challenge the study’s methodology and conclusions. One of the core criticisms among peer reviewers is that sweeping generalizations are frequently made with little, if any, documented evidence to validate them. Extensive references from a literature review. Details: Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, 2011. 179p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed on January 23, 2012 at https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/236867.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/236867.pdf Shelf Number: 123756 Keywords: ComputersInformation TechnologyInternetJihadismTerrorism |
Author: Verité Title: Vulnerability to Broker-Related Forced Labor among Migrant Workers in Information Technology Manufacturing in Taiwan and Malaysia Summary: The phenomenon of trafficking for labor exploitation is importantly played out in the Philippines, which has the second highest rate of employment of its citizens abroad in the world. With some 2,700 Philippine workers leaving daily for jobs abroad and approximately eight million citizens stationed overseas, some have estimated that one in three households in the Philippines has or had a member employed abroad.1 Malaysia and Taiwan, the two “receiving” countries of Philippine workers of focus for this study, both host substantial numbers of Philippine workers each year. In 2008 there were approximately 200,000 Philippine workers employed in Malaysia;2 and 90,000, in Taiwan.3 The conditions of these Philippine workers while abroad are troublesome – one NGO has estimated that one overseas Philippine worker is killed at work each day; while 21 return home in various forms of distress, including having suffered non-payment of wages, or emotional or physical abuse.4 Verité’s own work has found all the hallmarks of debt bondage among overseas Philippine workers, including highly leveraged debt in order to finance usurious recruitment fees; deception on the part of labor brokers as to salary and job type; and, while on the job, illegal salary withholdings, compromised freedom of movement, and compulsory overtime. To illuminate the special situation of foreign contract workers and identify appropriate policy responses, Verité undertook in 2004 and 2005 a project to study both legal protective regimes and on-the-ground practices in seven countries in Asia and the Middle East.5 Verité’s findings provided important original research on the practices and processes of labor broker arrangements in particular – including fees charged by brokers and employers and financing schemes entered into to fund the fees – and the ways in which these broker arrangements affected the conditions workers faced upon arrival in a destination country. The findings from Verité’s 2005 report have been amply bolstered by more current news reports on the plight of Philippine contract workers in Malaysia and Taiwan;6 as well as by ongoing Verité audits of IT and other manufacturing facilities in those two countries and elsewhere in the region. Issues related to exploitative labor brokerage practices have consistently been referenced in US Department of State’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for Taiwan. The TIP Report for 2009 which places Taiwan at a Tier 2, cites it as primarily a destination for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation. The report also noted that “trafficking victims are usually workers from rural areas of Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, brought into Taiwan for employment in low-skilled work through various intermediaries – recruitment agencies and brokers.” The Report cites further that, “Many migrant workers are charged job placement and service fees up to the equivalent of USD 14,000, some of which are unlawful, resulting in substantial debt that unscrupulous labor brokers or employers may use as a coercive tool to subject the workers to involuntary servitude… Labor brokers often help employers forcibly deport “problematic” employees, thus allowing the broker to fill the empty quota with a new foreign worker who must pay placement and brokerage fees that may be used to subject them to involuntary servitude.”7 This current report builds Verité’s prior work, as well as the work of others. In the pages below, Verité will explore these and other factors related to labor brokers and forced labor in our research. Details: Amherst, MA: Verité, 2010. 101p. Source: Help Wanted Hiring, Human Trafficking And Modern-Day Slavery in The Global Economy Regional Report: Internet Resource: Accessed March 25, 2012 at http://www.verite.org/system/files/images/HELP%20WANTED_A%20Verite%CC%81%20Report_Migrant%20Workers%20in%20Taiwan%20%2526%20Malaysia.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Asia URL: http://www.verite.org/system/files/images/HELP%20WANTED_A%20Verite%CC%81%20Report_Migrant%20Workers%20in%20Taiwan%20%2526%20Malaysia.pdf Shelf Number: 124749 Keywords: Forced Labor (Taiwan) (Malaysia)Human TraffickingInformation TechnologyMigrant Workers |
Author: Frank, Richard Title: Social Media Sites: New Fora for Criminal, Communication, and Investigation Opportunities Summary: Over the last two decades, rapid advances in communication technologies have significantly enhanced efficiency and information sharing. The spread of online discussion fora and most recently, social networking websites such as Facebook and Twitter, has helped rekindle and maintain connections between friends and acquaintances, facilitated the building of various online communities that share common interests, and created a new space for entrepreneurship and business transactions. Social media tools help to link people with common interests, and facilitate a wide variety of activities in the legitimate sector; it follows that such popular communication and business tools may also facilitate work in the illegitimate sector, perhaps even the work of criminal organizations. The current research complements and builds on existing empirical information regarding the use of social media by criminal organizations and law enforcement by way of literature review and interviews with law enforcement officials and social media experts. All law enforcement respondents and social media experts indicated that law enforcement personnel and organizations have, and continue to, employ social media to connect to the communities that they serve. The goals of law enforcement use of social media as identified by respondents were to connect to and interact with the community, and to proactively monitor the community for disruptive events and activities. Respondents reflected on the challenges they faced when conducting such investigations online. These included the ability to find the correct person among the large number of online social media users, the procedural difficulties associated with acquiring private information from social media data owners, and the time consuming nature of following forensically sound procedures when collecting online evidence, particularly when it is done in such a way as to not leave behind traces of police activities. One recurring recommendation from respondents, which also appears in the literature, is that police officers need more basic training on using computers and the Internet for open source intelligence gathering. Respondents suggest that it is important that law enforcement personnel have access to different computers, websites, and software so that they can be more fluent with them and utilize a variety of tools. Respondents indicated that law enforcement personnel need to accept that police officers will want to use online social media sites for personal reasons. But, they warned that separating police work from personal work is a mandatory requirement. They expressed concern that many police officers do not understand the danger of posting photos and personal information on online social media sites (OSMS), even if they have strict privacy settings. Some respondents suggested that a set of principles be created and followed regarding how police should and can obtain evidence and what they should (not) do to a crime scene where a computer is involved. Respondents suggested that such a guideline would allow law enforcement personnel to be more effective and consistent in gathering evidence from computers. Moreover, such a guideline may help minimize trails left by law enforcement personnel during investigation. Most respondents agreed that persons suspected of organized crime involvement do not tend to display their illicit activities on their social media profiles, but instead use social media to keep connected to their networks. The intersections between the demographic characteristics of persons who use social media and those of persons involved with organized crime may be useful for targeting investigation and communication efforts. This comparison illustrates that, in general, persons involved in organized crime tend to be late-onset offenders, older than those who frequent social media sites, and may perhaps be less likely to use social media. Exceptionally, the two blog sites described in this report, Blogger and Wordpress, were shown to have an older cohort of users. It is possible that members of criminal organizations, like the older general public, may be more attracted to blog sites than to Twitter, FaceBook, or MySpace, and as such may be users or consumers of such social media. Unlike the typical social media user, women involved in criminal organizations tend to be non-Caucasian, with disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds (Beare 2010). As such, it is possible that female organized crime offenders are even less likely than their male counterparts to use social media sites. Details: Ottawa: Research and National Coordination, Organized Crime Division, Law Enforcement and Policy Branch, Public Safety Canada, 2011. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 7, 2012 at: http://www.sfu.ca/~icrc/content/PS-SP-socialmedia.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Canada URL: http://www.sfu.ca/~icrc/content/PS-SP-socialmedia.pdf Shelf Number: 125499 Keywords: Criminal InvestigationsInformation TechnologyMedia and CommunicationsOrganized Crime (Canada)Social Media |
Author: Ponemon Institute Title: The Risk of Insider Fraud: U.S. Study of IT and Business Practitioners Summary: Ponemon Institute and Attachmate are pleased to present the results of The Risk of Insider Fraud. According to Ponemon Institute research, insider negligence and maliciousness can be one of the major causes of a costly and reputation damaging data breach. As reported in the Ponemon Institute’s most recent Cost of Data Breach study, malicious insiders cause 31 percent of all data breaches and the average cost of such a breach is $318 per lost record. We believe this study is important because it reveals how prevalent insider fraud is in the organizations we studied, the consequences of fraud and how much money is needed to reduce the risk. In our study, we defined insider fraud as the malicious or criminal attacks perpetrated upon business or governmental organizations by employees, temporary employees and contractors. Typically, the objective of such attacks is the theft of financial or information assets – which include customer data, trade secrets and intellectual properties. Sometimes the most dangerous insiders are those who possess strong IT skills or have access to your organization’s critical applications and data. Other risks with potentially severe consequences are the intentional or accidental data misuse or policy violation. The recent case involving a 31-year-old UBS trader illustrates how costly and potentially damaging to an organization’s reputation insider fraud can be. According to the Financial Times, Kweku Adoboli was charged with fraud by abuse of position and two counts of false accounting. The total loss to UBS as a result of his “unauthorized” activity is $2 billion. Using survey methods, we implemented an objective study about how highly experienced individuals in IT, security, compliance and other business fields deal with the risk of fraud perpetrated by malicious insiders. This study attempts to ascertain what these individuals perceive to be the most serious vulnerabilities in their organizations and how they can improve IT, governance and control practices that reduce fraud and ensure compliance with regulations. Our sample consists of 707 individuals (respondents) who have more than 10 years of experience and the vast majority is positioned at or above the manager level within their organizations. Sixty-two percent of respondents are in IT-related roles. While all respondents are located in the United States, many of their organizations are multinational or with operations in other countries. Details: Traverse City, MI: Ponemon Institute, 2011. 22p. Source: Ponemon Institute Research Report: Internet Resource: Accessed August 28, 2012 at http://resources.idgenterprise.com/original/AST-0060002_Ponemon_2011_Insider_Fraud_Survey_Results.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://resources.idgenterprise.com/original/AST-0060002_Ponemon_2011_Insider_Fraud_Survey_Results.pdf Shelf Number: 126156 Keywords: Employee FraudFraudInformation TechnologyWorkplace Crime |
Author: Coscia, Michele Title: How and Where Do Criminals Operate? Using Google to track Mexican Drug Trafficking Organizations Summary: We develop a tool that uses Web content to obtain quantitative information about the mobility and modus operandi of criminal groups, information that would otherwise require the operation of large scale, expensive intelligence exercises to be obtained. Exploiting indexed reliable sources such as online newspapers and blogs, we use unambiguous query terms and Google's search engine to identify the areas of operation of criminal organizations, and to extract information about the particularities of their mobility patters. We apply our tool to Mexican criminal organizations to identify their market strategies, their preferred areas of operation, and the way in which these have evolved over the last two decades. By extracting this knowledge, we provide crucial information for academics and policy makers increasingly interested in organized crime. Our findings provide evidence that criminal organizations are more strategic and operate in more differentiated ways than current academic literature had suggested. Details: Cambridge, MA: Department of Government, Harvard University, 2012. 25p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 7, 2012 at http://www.gov.harvard.edu/files/CosciaRios_GoogleForCriminals.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Mexico URL: http://www.gov.harvard.edu/files/CosciaRios_GoogleForCriminals.pdf Shelf Number: 126637 Keywords: ComputersCrime AnalysisDrug Trafficking (Mexico)Information TechnologyOrganized Crime |
Author: Hannaford-Agor, Paula Title: Juror and Jury Use of New Media: A Baseline Exploration Summary: Over the course of six meetings held between 2008 and 2011, the members of the Executive Session for State Court Leaders in the 21st Century considered leadership challenges presented by a series of both longstanding problems and new trends. The new social media’s turn came in April 2010 with a discussion billed as examining “the opportunities and pitfalls of new media for state court leaders.” The youngest Session member, Garrett Graff, an expert on the new media, agreed to frame the issues for everyone’s benefit. He immediately took the discussion to an unexpected place. The real challenge, he claimed, is that “this is much more than just a set of tools—this is a different way of thinking.” That is not to say that the tools themselves are unproblematic. Graff noted that one consequence of the new media is that “every single person who is now sitting in a courtroom has access to just about every piece of information ever published anywhere in the world. And that is a tremendous challenge to the way we traditionally think of sealing off the courtroom from the outside world for the duration of a trial.” Currently, jury and juror use of the Internet to conduct independent research or to engage in ex parte communications on trial-related topics is universally prohibited as a violation of the juror’s oath and can result in a mistrial or an overturned verdict. The more profound challenge, however, is the change to the very nature of how people engage in truth finding. The Kennedy School’s Christopher E. Stone summarized the challenge as a “dilemma for an institution that is used to insisting on its own ways of knowing things, ways that are different from what ordinary people do. Consider the rules of evidence—or just the rules on hearsay—we have an institution that is used to telling the whole society, ‘Yeah, yeah, you think you learn things this way, but we have different rules for acquiring knowledge in this process.’” The jury trial clearly is where new ways of truth seeking are most likely to collide with the requirements of traditional court processes. The potential casualty is fairness. Chief Justice Christine M. Durham of the Utah Supreme Court expressed skepticism about the ability of courts to find a compromise that accommodates new understandings of truth finding with the traditional trial process: “Where I have trouble is with what becomes of the fundamental definition of fairness in the American judicial system—which is founded on the concept of the adversarial system as the means of guaranteeing fairness. We have inextricably connected those two values, fairness and the adversary system, from the beginning of our history.” If judges are no longer the gatekeepers for the flow of information into a courtroom, and if jurors no longer accept the legitimacy of restrictions on what is relevant to fact finding, can the American adversarial system continue to deliver fairness? The subsequent discussion led to a broad consensus that the Executive Session should, as part of its legacy, sponsor one or more jury experiments to inform court leaders as they confront changing technology and approaches to truth finding. More specifically, the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), with its tradition of jury research, was asked to design a research project to explore the impact of the new media on juries, develop the necessary survey and other methodologies needed to explore the impact of the new media on juries, and recommend potential ways to reconcile the use of new media with the dynamics of the adversarial system. This paper frames the research issues and describes what was learned from the pilot test of a jury study in 15 civil and criminal trials. Details: Williamsburg, VA: National Center for State Courts, 2012. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 17, 2012 at http://www.ncsc.org/Services-and-Experts/Court-leadership/Harvard-Executive-Session/~/media/Files/PDF/Services%20and%20Experts/Harvard%20Executive%20Session/jurorandjuryuse.ashx Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.ncsc.org/Services-and-Experts/Court-leadership/Harvard-Executive-Session/~/media/Files/PDF/Services%20and%20Experts/Harvard%20Executive%20Session/jurorandjuryuse.ashx Shelf Number: 127230 Keywords: CommunicationsInformation TechnologyJuriesJurorsMass Media and Criminal Justice |
Author: Bartlett, Jamie Title: Policing in an Information Age Summary: Policing is an information intensive business. This means that changes in the way people create, share and use information present new challenges to the task of policing a democratic society. The widespread adoption of social media is one such change. Social media allows the police to engage and include the public in law enforcement in new, potentially transformative ways. But it also makes these engagements more difficult to control, and open to misuse and reputational damage. It allows the police to gather powerful, recent and possibly decisive intelligence – social media intelligence or ‘SOCMINT’ - in the interests of public safety. But there is a risk that this will be done in a way that is unsound, unsafe, and radically undermining of public trust. Social media is a new source of evidence for enforcement purposes, but also a new theatre of crime. For at least the last five years, dealing with these opportunities and challenges has become increasingly important to police forces. The initial doubts which many may have had about the relevance of social media platforms to police work were largely dispelled by the August 2011 riots. Since then, police interest in and use of social media has increased rapidly against a background of greater pressure on police budgets and the beginnings of a decline in police numbers. All forces in the UK have some presence on Twitter, with accounts for senior police officers, central communications, neighbourhood, helicopter, road and football policing teams. Some police officers tweet in a private capacity. West Midlands Police for example has accounts for individual officers, force football teams and even the police dog. Other social media platforms – Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest, Google +, Audiobook – are also used, often linked to Twitter accounts. Most forces have formal social media policies and strategies, and most use social media as a basis for investigation or as evidence. In this short paper, we summarise the key opportunities and difficulties social media presents for engagement, intelligence and enforcement. It is far from comprehensive and offers only an overview of each. Nevertheless, it seems to us that the police will now certainly need to use social media to engage with the public, collect intelligence, and investigate crime, both on- and offline. This needs new settlements – in doctrine, resource allocation, operation, capability, regulation and strategy – that allow it to be done in accordance with the principles at the heart of the British model of policing: legitimacy, accountability, visibility, compliance with the rule of law, proportionality, the minimal use of force and engagement with the public. Details: London: Demos, 2013. 42p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 30, 2013 at: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/DEMOS_Policing_in_an_Information_Age_v1.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/DEMOS_Policing_in_an_Information_Age_v1.pdf Shelf Number: 128164 Keywords: Information TechnologyPolice-Media RelationsPolicing (U.K.)Social Media |
Author: Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative Title: Developing a Policy on the Use of Social Media in Intelligence and Investigative Activities: Guidance and Recommendations Summary: The advent of social media sites has created an environment of greater connection among people, businesses, and organizations, serving as a useful tool to keep in touch and interact with one another. These sites enable increased information sharing at a more rapid pace, building and enhancing relationships and helping friends, coworkers, and families to stay connected. Persons or groups can instantaneously share photos or videos, coordinate events, and/or provide updates that are of interest to their friends, family, or customer base. Social media sites can also serve as a platform to enable persons and groups to express their First Amendment rights, including their political ideals, religious beliefs, or views on government and government agencies. Many government entities, including law enforcement agencies, are also using social media sites as a tool to interact with the public, such as posting information on crime trends, updating citizens on community events, or providing tips on keeping citizens safe. Social media sites have become useful tools for the public and law enforcement entities, but criminals are also using these sites for wrongful purposes. Social media sites may be used to coordinate a criminal-related flash mob or plan a robbery, or terrorist groups may use social media sites to recruit new members and espouse their criminal intentions. Social media sites are increasingly being used to instigate or conduct criminal activity, and law enforcement personnel should understand the concept and function of these sites, as well as know how social media tools and resources can be used to prevent, mitigate, respond to, and investigate criminal activity. To ensure that information obtained from social media sites for investigative and criminal intelligence-related activity is used lawfully while also ensuring that individuals’ and groups’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties are protected, law enforcement agencies should have a social media policy (or include the use of social media sites in other information-related policies). This social media policy should communicate how information from social media sites can be utilized by law enforcement, as well as the differing levels of engagement—such as apparent/overt, discrete, or covert—with subjects when law enforcement personnel access social media sites, in addition to specifying the authorization requirements, if any, associated with each level of engagement. These levels of engagement may range from law enforcement personnel “viewing” information that is publicly available on social media sites to the creation of an undercover profile to directly interact with an identified criminal subject online. Articulating the agency’s levels of engagement and authorization requirements is critical to agency personnel’s understanding of how information from social media sites can be used by law enforcement and is a key aspect of a social media policy. Social media sites and resources should be viewed as another tool in the law enforcement investigative toolbox and should be used in a manner that adheres to the same principles that govern all law enforcement activity, such as actions must be lawful and personnel must have a defined objective and a valid law enforcement purpose for gathering, maintaining, or sharing personally identifiable information (PII). In addition, any law enforcement action involving undercover activity (including developing an undercover profile on a social media site) should address supervisory approval, required documentation of activity, periodic reviews of activity, and the audit of undercover processes and behavior. Law enforcement agencies should also not collect or maintain the political, religious, or social views, associations, or activities of any individual or group, association, corporation, business, partnership, or organization unless there is a legitimate public safety purpose. These aforementioned principles help define and place limitations on law enforcement actions and ensure that individuals’ and groups’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties are diligently protected. When law enforcement personnel adhere to these principles, they are ensuring that their actions are performed with the highest respect for the law and the community they serve, consequently fostering the community’s trust in and support for law enforcement action. The Developing a Policy on the Use of Social Media in Intelligence and Investigative Activities: Guidance and Recommendations is designed to guide law enforcement agency personnel through the development of a social media policy by identifying elements that should be considered when drafting a policy, as well as issues to consider when developing a policy, focusing on privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections. This resource can also be used to modify and enhance existing policies to include social media information. All law enforcement agencies, regardless of size and jurisdiction, can benefit from the guidance identified in this resource. The key elements identified in this resource can be applied to “traditional” social media sites (such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) and are also applicable as different and new types of social media sites emerge and proliferate. As a policy is developed, the agency privacy officer and/or legal counsel should be consulted and involved in the process. Additionally, many agencies have an existing privacy policy that includes details on how to safeguard privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties, and an agency’s social media-related policy should also communicate how these protections will be upheld when using information obtained from social media sites. Social media sites have emerged as a method for instantaneous connection among people and groups; information obtained from these sites can also be a valuable resource for law enforcement in the prevention, identification, investigation, and prosecution of crimes. To that end, law enforcement leadership should ensure that their agency has a social media policy that outlines the associated procedures regarding the use of social media-related information in investigative and criminal intelligence activities, while articulating the importance of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections. Moreover, the same procedures and prohibitions placed on law enforcement officers when patrolling the community or conducting an investigation should be in place when agency personnel are accessing, viewing, collecting, using, storing, retaining, and disseminating information obtained from social media sites. As these sites increase in popularity and usefulness, a social media policy is vital to ensuring that information from social media used in criminal intelligence and investigative activities is lawfully used, while also ensuring that individuals’ and groups’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties are diligently protected. Details: Washington, DC: Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative, 2013. 46p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 29, 2013 at: https://it.ojp.gov/gist/Document/132 Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: https://it.ojp.gov/gist/Document/132 Shelf Number: 128845 Keywords: Criminal IntelligenceCriminal InvestigationsInformation TechnologyIntelligence GatheringMedia and CommunicationsSocial Media |
Author: Bartlett, Jamie Title: @metpoliceuk: How Twitter is Changing Modern Policing: The Case of the Woolrich Aftermath Summary: Major events – natural disasters, football matches, terrorist attacks – are increasingly accompanied by a complex, varied and evolving cloud of reaction on Twitter: questions, interpretations, condemnations, jokes, rumours and insults. This surge of online information, shadowing the event itself, is often called a ‘twitcident’. This new kind of aftermath opens new opportunities and challenges for policing.i Inherently amenable to collection, measurement and analysis, they can be harnessed as sources of social media intelligence – ‘SOCMINT’ – in a number of ways to keep society safe: as important sources of evidence; as situational awareness in contexts that are changing rapidly, as a way of crowd-sourcing intelligence, and to answer a backdrop of strategic research questions, such as how society will change in result of the event itself.ii Twitcidents do not just provide intelligence for the police, however. They also put pressure on the police themselves to provide information, intelligence and, where possible, public assurances. As we have argued elsewhere, social media is an increasingly important aspect of modern policing, particularly for intelligence collection and communication.iii It is now apparent that social media is an important part of any large incident or emergency response. As people continue to transfer their social lives onto these digital-social spaces, the benefits of effectively harnessing and responding to twitcidents will increase, and so will the risk of failing to do so. To understand the specific challenges and opportunities this presents, we have chosen to dissect in detail the tweets directed at @metpoliceuk immediately before, during and after the alleged murder of Lee Rigby by two individuals – believed to be Islamist extremists – in Woolwich at 14:20 on 22nd May 2013. After the murder, the alleged assailants remained at the scene, and spoke to, and were filmed by, bystanders. First unarmed, then armed police arrived and, following an exchange of fire, the two men were wounded and taken to hospital. As of May 29th the Metropolitan’s Police Twitter account (@metpoliceuk) was the most followed police account in the UK, with 114,369 followers. Up to the afternoon of the 22nd, the account was lively. Two online petitions were driving tweets to the police account, one to demand additional information be released from the McCann investigation, and the other demanding the arrest of the self-exiled Pakistani politician Altaf Hussain. BBC Breaking News’ Twitter account tweeted at 3.50pm that: Police officers called to incident in Woolwich, south-east London at 14:20 BST, @metpoliceuk confirm. No further details at present Quickly, news of the attacks began to circulate on Twitter, and video footage of the assailants – including one of the suspects talking to a bystander – was uploaded onto YouTube and other platforms. By the late afternoon, members of the English Defence League took to Twitter to organise a flash demonstration in Woolwich to express outrage at the murder; and by the early evening around 100 supporters clashed with police before being dispersed at around 11pm. In order to understand how people reacted on Twitter to these events, from May 17th to May 23rd, we ‘scraped’ all 19,344 Tweets that contained the identifying ‘@tag’ - @metpoliceUK. A Twitter scrape is the result of filtering the recent public Twitter timeline with a set of query terms through Twitter’s ‘Search Application Programming Interface’. All Tweets matching @metpoliceuk were in this way accessed, and downloaded into a MySQL database. With this corpus of collected tweets three simple analyses were conducted: Overall rates and volumes of tweets over time; A qualitative analysis of tweets to create overall ‘types’. Several thousand Tweets were manually placed into categories until ‘saturation’ – wherein new tweets neither required new categories to be created, or the boundaries of existing categories to be revised; The formal coding of 500 randomly selected tweets into these categories to establish the proportional breakdown of the dataset overall. This was done twice, the first, over the 24 hours of the 22nd, the second over the entire four days period during which the data was collected. This was in order to provide some broader analysis and comparison. Details: London: Demos, 2013. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 1, 2013 at: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/_metpoliceuk.pdf?1371661838 Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.demos.co.uk/files/_metpoliceuk.pdf?1371661838 Shelf Number: 129230 Keywords: Information TechnologyMediaPolicing (U.K.)Social MediaTwitter |
Author: Kopak, Albert M. Title: Innovations in Information Sharing: An Overview of an Initiative at Sarasota County Florida Sheriff’s Office Summary: Advancements in computer technology have benefitted police with a wealth of information, but they are often still ineffective in their practices because much of this information goes unused. The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office is on the forefront of the information sharing movement among law enforcement agencies with their adaptation of Microsoft SharePoint®. This application gives the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office an innovative way to provide actionable information to strategically guide their law enforcement activities. This overview details how the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office has collaborated with surrounding law enforcement and legal agencies to enhance the entire region’s police practices. Details: International Police Executive Symposium, 2013. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper no. 48: Accessed August 8, 2013 at: http://www.ipes.info/WPS/WPS_No_48.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.ipes.info/WPS/WPS_No_48.pdf Shelf Number: 129603 Keywords: CollaborationInformation Systems (U.S.)Information TechnologyPolice Technology |
Author: Clark, David Title: At the Nexus of Cybersecurity and Public Policy: Some Basic Concepts and Issues. Summary: We depend on information and information technology (IT) to make many of our day-to-day tasks easier and more convenient. Computers play key roles in transportation, health care, banking, and energy. Businesses use IT for payroll and accounting, inventory and sales, and research and development. Modern military forces use weapons that are increasingly coordinated through computer-based networks. Cybersecurity is vital to protecting all of these functions. Cyberspace is vulnerable to a broad spectrum of hackers, criminals, terrorists, and state actors. Working in cyberspace, these malevolent actors can steal money, intellectual property, or classified information; impersonate law-abiding parties for their own purposes; damage important data; or deny the availability of normally accessible services. Cybersecurity issues arise because of three factors taken together - the presence of malevolent actors in cyberspace, societal reliance on IT for many important functions, and the presence of vulnerabilities in IT systems. What steps can policy makers take to protect our government, businesses, and the public from those would take advantage of system vulnerabilities? At the Nexus of Cybersecurity and Public Policy offers a wealth of information on practical measures, technical and nontechnical challenges, and potential policy responses. According to this report, cybersecurity is a never-ending battle; threats will evolve as adversaries adopt new tools and techniques to compromise security. Cybersecurity is therefore an ongoing process that needs to evolve as new threats are identified. At the Nexus of Cybersecurity and Public Policy is a call for action to make cybersecurity a public safety priority. For a number of years, the cybersecurity issue has received increasing public attention; however, most policy focus has been on the short-term costs of improving systems. In its explanation of the fundamentals of cybersecurity and the discussion of potential policy responses, this book will be a resource for policy makers, cybersecurity and IT professionals, and anyone who wants to understand threats to cyberspace. Details: Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2014. 102p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 7, 2014 at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18749 Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=18749 Shelf Number: 132285 Keywords: Computer Crimes Computer Security Cyber Security Cybercrime Information Technology |
Author: Hollywood, John Title: High-Priority Information Technology Needs for Law Enforcement Summary: This study reports on strategic planning activities supporting the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) in the area of information technology, collecting and analyzing data on law enforcement needs and offering potential solutions through technology assessment studies, extensive outreach and liaison activities, and subject matter expert panels. Strategic planning will help NIJ make the best investments to leverage its limited funds and help the range of technology developers supporting law enforcement better understand the law enforcement community's needs and priorities. By looking across the top-ranking needs, the authors identified 11 crosscutting themes in total. These themes are further grouped into three overarching keynotes - a broad need to improve the law enforcement community's knowledge of technology and practices, a broad need to improve the sharing and use of law enforcement-relevant information, and a broad need to conduct research, development, testing, and evaluation on a range of topics. The latter category includes research on both the "non-material" side of technology, including policy and practices, and more traditional technical development. Key Findings Law Enforcement's Knowledge of IT and Its Dissemination Can Be Improved -A wide range of efforts have been undertaken to disseminate technology information to law enforcement practitioners. -A strong desire for help in technology use and management remains, implying needs for improvement in technology dissemination and education. Sharing, Displaying, and Using Information Effectively Is a Major Challenge -Enabling the sharing of information across law enforcement systems is a difficult problem - technically, organizationally, and commercially. -Information-sharing efforts to date have had limited coverage and can be inconsistent with each other. Further, it is difficult for new developers and users to learn about all of the available information-sharing tools and technologies. -Tools that display situational awareness information to law enforcement users at all levels are lacking. -In addition to sharing information within law enforcement, there is a need to improve mechanisms for communicating with the public. Additional Areas Need Research and Development -There is a need to improve systems for monitoring and protecting the health of officers, including both physical and mental health. -There is a need to improve security, privacy, and civil rights policies for using IT. -There is a need to improve the affordability of law enforcement IT systems across their entire life cycle. -There is an overarching need to identify promising practices that can leverage IT effectively to reduce crime. There is a need to improve IT, along with supporting training and policies, to help law enforcement respond to major incidents. -There is a need to improve, and improve the use of, a range of deployable sensors. These include body-worn cameras, field biometrics, electronic evidence collection systems, and video surveillance systems. Recommendations -A federal coordinator for technology-related outreach should be designated; this coordinator would work with various offices involved to develop and monitor a dissemination strategy capturing who will do what, for whom, and when. -This coordinator should maintain and monitor a master list of outstanding needs and development tasks to address them. -The coordinator should also capture which information-sharing projects are addressing the required tasks and disseminate all gathered information in an information-sharing strategic plan. -Work on providing common operational picture/dashboard displays to law enforcement officers should be undertaken. -Communications between the public and law enforcement should be improved. -The emotional state and physical health of officers should be monitored. -Federal efforts to provide tracking systems for responders during major events should be undertaken. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2015. 94p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 9, 2015 at: http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR737.html Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR737.html Shelf Number: 134764 Keywords: ComputersInformation SharingInformation TechnologyLaw Enforcement TechnologyPolice Education and TrainingPolice Technology (U.S.) |
Author: Big Brother Watch Title: Safe in Police Hands? How Police Forces suffer 10 data breaches every week and still want more of your data. Summary: A new report on data protection in the UK police. Some of their key findings for the period June 1, 2011 - December 31, 2015 were that there have been 2,315 breaches in police forces, including: 869 (38%) instances of inappropriate/unauthorised access to information 877 (38%) instances of inappropriate disclosure of data to third parties. 25 cases involved misuse of the Police National Computer 1283 (55%) cases resulted in no disciplinary or formal disciplinary action being taken. 297 (13%) cases resulted in either a resignation or dismissal. 70 (3%) cases resulted in a criminal conviction or a caution. 258 (11%) cases resulted in either a written or verbal warning The report has a breakdown by police department for those seeking more detailed information on particular departments. BBW got a 95% response rate to their freedom of information request, which is pretty impressive. Details: London: Big Brother Watch, 2016. 138p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 12, 2016 at: https://www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Safe-in-Police-Hands.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Safe-in-Police-Hands.pdf Shelf Number: 140661 Keywords: Data BreachesData SecurityInformation Technology |
Author: U.S. House. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Title: Law Enforcement Use of Cell-Site Simulation Technologies: Privacy Concerns and Recommendations Summary: Advances in emerging surveillance technologies like cell-site simulators – devices which transform a cell phone into a real-time tracking device – require careful evaluation to ensure their use is consistent with the protections afforded under the First and Fourth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The United States' military and intelligence agencies have developed robust and sophisticated surveillance technologies for deployment in defense against threats from foreign actors. These technologies are essential to keeping America safe. Increasingly though, domestic law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels are using surveillance technologies in their every-day crime-fighting activities. In the case of cell-site simulators, this technology is being used to investigate a wide range of criminal activity, from human trafficking to narcotics trafficking, as well as kidnapping, and to assist in the apprehension of dangerous and violent fugitives. Law enforcement officers at all levels perform an incredibly difficult and important job and deserve our thanks and appreciation. While law enforcement agencies should be able to utilize technology as a tool to help officers be safe and accomplish their missions, absent proper oversight and safeguards, the domestic use of cell-site simulators may well infringe upon the constitutional rights of citizens to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, as well as the right to free association. Transparency and accountability are therefore critical to ensuring that when domestic law enforcement decide to use these devices on American citizens, the devices are used in a manner that meets the requirements and protections of the Constitution. After press reports alleged wide-spread use of cell-site simulation devices by federal, state, and local law enforcement, the Committee initiated a bipartisan investigation in April 2015. At the outset of the investigation, the use of these devices by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies was not well known, and in many instances, appeared to be shrouded in secrecy. This is partly due to the use of the technology by military and intelligence agencies and the need for sensitivity in national security matters. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), for example, avoided disclosing not only its own use of the devices, but also its role in assisting state and local law enforcement agencies in obtaining and deploying these devices. Indeed, the Committee's investigation revealed that as part of the conditions for being able to sell cell-site simulators to state and local law enforcement, the manufacturers of these devices must first notify the FBI, and those agencies in turn must sign a non-disclosure agreement with the FBI that expressly prohibits them from publicly disclosing their use of this technology, even in prosecutions where the use of the technology was at issue. On April 24, 2015, the Committee sent letters to then-Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Director Jeh Johnson, requesting information about their agencies' use of cell-site simulators and the privacy concerns inherent with their use. During the course of the investigation, it became clear that the use of cell-site simulators by state and local law enforcement agencies was not governed by any uniform standards or policies. In an effort to determine how widespread this problem was, the Committee identified four cities of varying sizes and crime rates, along with two states, for the purpose of ascertaining the number and type of cell-site simulators in use, as well as the policies that were employed for their use. In particular, the Committee sent letters to the police departments in Washington, D.C.; Alexandria, Virginia; Sunrise, Florida; Baltimore, Maryland; the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; and the Virginia State Police, requesting among other things, information regarding the number, the funding, and the use of these devices at the state and local level. Documents and information obtained by the Committee confirmed varying standards for employing cell-site simulation devices among federal, state, and local law enforcement. Notably, the documents and information revealed that when the Committee first began its investigation in April 2015, federal law enforcement entities could obtain a court’s authorization to use cell-site simulators by meeting a standard lower than probable cause — the standard to obtain a search warrant. On October 21, 2015 the Committee’s Subcommittee on Information Technology (the Subcommittee) held a public hearing on DOJ's and DHS’s use of cell-site simulators. 7 The hearing focused on the agencies’ policies and procedures for deploying cell-site simulation technology. In September 2015, five months into the Committee's investigation and with the hearing upcoming, DOJ announced a new policy for its use of cell-site simulation devices. Shortly thereafter, DHS followed suit with the announcement of a similar new policy. At the hearing, it became evident that prior to the Committee’s investigation, the component law enforcement entities of DHS and DOJ had different policies and procedures governing their use of this technology and the agencies were not always obtaining a probable cause based warrant prior to deploying these devices. The new policies substantially changed how the agencies obtain authorization to deploy cell-site simulation technology. The new policies also introduced a measure of uniformity to how the various component agencies of each department used cell-site simulators, and importantly, required the agencies to obtain a warrant supported by probable cause in the majority of situations. Details: Washington, DC: The Committee, 2016. 36p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 20, 2016 at: https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/THE-FINAL-bipartisan-cell-site-simulator-report.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/THE-FINAL-bipartisan-cell-site-simulator-report.pdf Shelf Number: 147302 Keywords: Criminal IntelligenceInformation TechnologyIntelligence GatheringSurveillance Technology |
Author: Saunders, Jessica Title: Identifying the Needs and Challenges of Criminal Justice Agencies in Small, Rural, Tribal, and Border Areas Summary: Technology is important to improving the effectiveness, efficiency, and safety of the criminal justice system. The development of new technologies and new approaches for applying them has been and will likely continue to be an important catalyst for improvement in law enforcement, corrections, and the courts. However, use of technology in these sectors can be challenging, particularly for agencies located in small, rural, tribal, and border (SRTB) areas. SRTB justice systems account for three-quarters of all criminal justice agencies nationwide. Because these agencies are so geographically dispersed and have relatively few employees, they lack a centralized voice to influence the development of technologies and other solutions. To date, relatively little research has examined the needs of such agencies. The National Institute of Justice created the Justice Innovation Center (JIC) to provide current, rigorous, and actionable information on technology needs and priorities specific to SRTB agencies. JIC's purpose is to gather information on the challenges that SRTB agencies face, identify relevant technology solutions that can address those challenges, and assess these technology solutions as they are implemented in real-world situations. These activities will provide guidance to SRTB agencies for prioritizing, planning, and implementing technology. The JIC research team consists of staff from RAND Justice Policy and the Arizona State University Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety. This report summarizes JIC's research goals and efforts, which include a literature review, in-depth interviews with nearly 150 practitioners and topical experts, and focused discussions with an advisory panel of experts and practitioners. Key Findings Criminal Justice Agencies Face Challenges in Four Main Areas All types of criminal justice agencies deal with challenges in information technology (IT), agency operations, geography, and funding and resourcing. In IT, the most-common challenges are in interoperability and infrastructure. Other issues include difficulties adopting new technologies, wide dislike of available jail-management systems, lack of qualified vendors and IT support serving rural areas, and challenges providing remote data access. Each agency type has unique concerns related to agency operations: Law enforcement agencies find it difficult to support specialized positions and assignments, recruit and retain qualified personnel, and manage positive relationships with the communities they serve. Courts need help applying innovative tools to case processing and need to improve access to justice. Institutional corrections agencies are challenged to provide sufficient quality mental health and substance-use treatment training and have difficulty with staffing and turnover. Community corrections agencies see the biggest challenges in managing electronic files, conducting supervised substance-use testing, and effectively managing offices with limited personnel. All types of agencies report geographical challenges, including lack of key local resources and the effects that long distances have on such things as response and travel times, the ability to adequately supervise dispersed populations, the cost of transportation, and staff productivity lost because of transportation time. Resource challenges range from limited technology funding, difficulty in applying for federal funding, limited budgets, and revenues to lack of new or upgraded equipment, understaffing, facility maintenance and upgrades, and adequately providing health and other services to those who come into contact with the criminal justice system. Recommendations Law enforcement agencies should identify strategies to improve relationships with their communities, including improving transparency and public relations. They also need to improve data- and information-sharing with other agencies and jurisdictions; leverage common standards for data management and other IT resources, and address problems with IT management. Courts should address the surge in pro se litigants by exploring streamlined administrative processes and remote filing options for these litigants, improve security and resilience, and improve IT infrastructure — especially regarding the compatibility of systems with those of other agencies in the jurisdiction. Institutional corrections agencies should improve mental health service provision and increase the availability of other services for inmates, and provide professional development for corrections personnel. They also need to improve jail-management systems and information-sharing and prepare for funding shortfalls. Community corrections agencies should refocus on rehabilitation and positive behavioral change. They need to improve information-sharing, manage resources across geographically dispersed agencies and personnel, and prepare for funding shortfalls. All agencies should improve information-sharing between other agency and other governmental systems, work cooperatively to procure and manage IT systems, explore the use videoconferencing of to overcome distance barriers, seek help applying for various grants, and use nonstandard personnel to address staffing shortfalls when appropriate. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2016. 164p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 3, 2017 at: http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1479.html Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1479.html Shelf Number: 145889 Keywords: Criminal Justice AdministrationCriminal Justice AgenciesInformation TechnologyRural Areas |
Author: McPherson, Ella Title: ICTs and Human Rights Practice Summary: In 2010, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns, received a horrifying video from the UK’s Channel 4 that seemed to document the summary execution of Tamil prisoners by Sri Lankan soldiers. This anonymous video, shot on a mobile phone, was an extended version of a video that Heyns' predecessor, Philip Alston, had previously evaluated. If true, the video would be evidence of a grave violation of the right to life – evidence that could not have existed prior to the advent of video-enabled mobile phones. After receiving the first, shorter version of the video, Alston wrote the Sri Lankan government indicating that the footage warranted an independent investigation. In response, the Sri Lankan government claimed the video had been fabricated, citing analysis it commissioned from audio, video, ballistics, and forensic pathology experts. In turn, Alston also engaged experts, who instead found that the contents of the video indicated authenticity. Heyns gave the extended video to the same experts for review; by examining the footage for indications of editing and the details of the incidents recorded, these experts again concluded that the video depicted real executions. Heyns then reported these findings to the United Nations Human Rights Council, calling on the Sri Lankan Government to investigate the executions. This pioneering case, which demonstrated both the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for expanding the documentation of human rights violations and the problem of verification this expansion poses, was an impetus for this report. ICTs are unsettling human rights practices across the board, including the key practices of preventing human rights violations, fact-finding cases of violations, and advocating for the amelioration of individual cases as well as for the promotion of a broader culture of human rights. Given the pace of innovation in the development and use of ICTs, our understanding of their impact on human rights often lags. Understanding this impact is crucial not just because of the opportunities ICTs create for human rights – which we can think of as affordances, or what ICTs allow their users to do. It is also crucial – due to the 'double-edged' nature of technology – because of the risks. Information and communication technology is a catchall category that refers to the hardware and software that facilitate the production, storage, transmission, and reception of digital information. The aim of this report, targeted at both practitioners and researchers, is to provide a snapshot of current initiatives and trends at the intersection of ICTs and human rights practices. Based on a review of primary materials documenting these initiatives and trends as well as on interviews with human rights defenders (HRDs), this report examines three key human rights practices in turn. In prevention, the use of ICTs includes their deployment to protect HRDs, to deter violations through police body-worn cameras, and for conflict prevention and early warning systems. These three uses address hotspots of right to life violations. They also create new security and privacy risks. In fact-finding, ICTs support both spontaneous and solicited civilian witnessing. ICTs facilitate fact-finders’ evaluation of human rights information for evidence – but they also complicate it because of the volume and verification challenges of social media information. Although generating robust evidence is a requirement of all human rights fact-finding, it is particularly relevant for cases involving the violation of the right to life, as one of the major challenges in this area is perpetrators’ refutation of allegations of violations. In terms of advocacy, ICTs provide new opportunities for reaching publics and advocacy targets. Because of social media’s particular characteristics and cultures, however, their use may jeopardize the visibility of particular categories of human rights information as well as the reputations of human rights organizations. Looking at opportunities and risks for human rights practices in the field is key for understanding how using ICTs can impact work to secure the right to life and other human rights. These opportunities and risks are not, however, distributed evenly. Their distribution is inflected by digital divides with respect to access to ICTs as well as with respect to digital literacy, or knowledge about how to use ICTs. These digital divides, as well as the nature of the opportunities and risks that the use of ICTs generates, are in turn influenced by ICTs' political economy, namely the power relations in which the use of particular ICTs are embedded. The conclusion of this report recommends that academics and practitioners take an approach to understanding ICTs and human rights practice that encompasses these aspects as a way to foreground the human rights concerns of redressing power abuses and enabling pluralism in the research, design, and deployment of these ICTs. Details: Cambridge, UK: University of Cambridge, Centre of Governance and Human Rights, 2015. 57p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 3, 2017 at: http://www.cghr.polis.cam.ac.uk/research-themes/human-rights-in-the-digital-age-1/ICTS_and_Human_Rights_Practice Year: 2015 Country: International URL: http://www.cghr.polis.cam.ac.uk/research-themes/human-rights-in-the-digital-age-1/ICTS_and_Human_Rights_Practice Shelf Number: 141319 Keywords: Arbitrary ExecutionsCommunication TechnologyExtrajudicial ExecutionsHuman Rights AbusesInformation Technology |
Author: Denyer-Willis, Graham Title: Smarter Policing: Tracking the Influence of New Information Technology in Rio de Janeiro Summary: Technological advancements are changing the architecture of police-society relations around the world. New modes of oversight, whether applied by public security entities or citizens, are dramatically transforming the way policing is conducted. This is especially the case in digitally connected cities in the North and South. Surprisingly little is known, however, about how technology can be used to drive reform in police institutions including in Rio de Janeiro, where the relationships between police and residents are characterized by mistrust. A key objective of the Smart Policing project, a partnership of the Igarapé Institute and the Policia Militar do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (PMERJ), is to explore ways to enhance police accountability through technology. The following Strategic Note considers how the recently installed pacification police units (Unidades de Policia Pacificadora or UPP) are using technology to recapture urban territory from drug trafficking groups while simultaneously expanding trust and reciprocity with citizens. It examines how technological innovations at the street level, including mobile phone applications, can potentially strengthen the integrity of police work and the social contract. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Igarapé Institute, 2013. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Strategic Note 10: Accessed March 4, 2017 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Smarter_Policing_ing.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Brazil URL: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Smarter_Policing_ing.pdf Shelf Number: 141323 Keywords: Drug TraffickingInformation TechnologyMobile PhonesPolice AccountabilityPolice EffectivenessPolice Technology |
Author: Moestue, Helen Title: Digitally Enhanced Child Protection: How new technology can prevent violence against children in the Global South Summary: The last decade has witnessed growing appreciation of the potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to protect children from violence. The issue of violence against children (VAC) is of singular importance. And while the full scope and scale of VAC remains hidden from view there is wide spread consensus that "every year and in every region of the world, millions of children suffer the cumulative impact of physical, mental and emotional violence, and millions more are at risk". Although ICT innovation for child protection is comparatively advanced in North America and Western Europe, there is less known about new tools in lower- and middle-income settings in the Americas, Africa and Asia. This Strategic Paper begins filling this knowledge gap and reviews the emerging character and functions of ICTs to prevent VAC in the global South. Drawing on assorted cases from Benin, Brazil, Kenya, Uganda and other countries, it provides a hint of the diversity of emerging experiences around the world. In the process, the Strategic Paper provides insights into emerging trends, typologies, and threats. Key findings include: - Mobile and digital technology are being harnessed in multiple ways to protect children, including through: (a) the digitization of existing child protection systems (b) helplines (c) citizen reporting and crowd mapping (d) mobile research and survey tools(e) big data analysis, and (f) tech-driven campaigning and information sharing; - These initiatives frequently combine the offer of assistance to children with the collection of real time data. This model in turn generates critical information for advocacy and can inform future child protection interventions; - Such approaches save time and money, and are breaking down the social, cultural and practical barriers to violence reporting. However, digital data collection raises important ethical questions about consent and confidentiality; - Innovation is emerging from a wide range of fields, including child protection, social development, the humanitarian sector, public health and the wider violence prevention field, and is often facilitated by creative public-private partnerships. Different disciplines are using the same tools; - Basic SMS based reporting systems have immense potential. Certain open source digital platforms offer the potential for scaling-up, especially systems such as Frontline SMS, Rapid SMS and Ushahidi, which integrate basic mobile phones for crowd-sourcing violence reporting and community mapping; and - There is a widening array of initiatives that enable children themselves to be informed, empowered and included in their own protection. Digitized survey tools, that can be used for and by children even in emergency settings, include Open Data Kit and Kobo Toolbox. The Strategic Paper considers the emerging landscapes of ICTs for VAC. It first sets the scene exploring the character and dynamics of violence against children, especially in low- and middle-income settings. The opening section also considers the expansion of ICTs and ethical implications in their application among children and youth. The second section introduces a typology of different ICTs including the digitization of child protection systems, child helplines, citizen reporting and crowd mapping, mobile research tools, Big Data analytics and technology-enabled campaigns. Section three explores how different sectors and disciplines are engaging with these new tools - including child protection experts, relief and development professionals and the public health community. The Paper closes with a brief consideration of next steps in the evolution of ICTs to prevent and reduce VAC. Details: Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Igarapa , 2014. 35p. Source: Internet Resource: Strategic paper 10: Accessed March 4, 2017 at: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Artigo-estrategico-10-Child-Protection-4.pdf Year: 2014 Country: South America URL: https://igarape.org.br/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Artigo-estrategico-10-Child-Protection-4.pdf Shelf Number: 134475 Keywords: Child ProtectionInformation TechnologyMobile PhonesViolence Against Children |
Author: Kim, KiDeuk Title: 2016 Law Enforcement Use of Social Media Survey Summary: A national scan of practice among law enforcement agencies across the United States reveals that they use social media to notify the public of safety concerns, manage public relations, and gather evidence for criminal investigations. The Urban Institute and the International Association of Chiefs of Police partnered to develop a comprehensive understanding of law enforcement's use of social media. A total of 539 agencies representing 48 states participated in the survey and answered questions regarding their use of social media, the management of social media engagement activities, barriers to success, and their future social media needs. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2017. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 6, 2017 at: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/88661/2016-law-enforcement-use-of-social-media-survey.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/88661/2016-law-enforcement-use-of-social-media-survey.pdf Shelf Number: 145584 Keywords: Criminal InvestigationsInformation TechnologyPolice TechnologySocial Media |
Author: Hollywood, John Title: Fostering Innovation in U.S. Law Enforcement: Identifying High-Priority Technology and Other Needs for Improving Law Enforcement Operations and Outcomes Summary: The National Institute of Justice tasked RAND to host a panel of law enforcement experts to identify high-priority needs for innovation in law enforcement, covering advances in technology, policy, and practice. The needs discussed in this report can help prioritize research, development, and dissemination efforts in ways that will provide the greatest value to law enforcement practitioners. The panel identified four top findings. First, there is a need to improve practitioners' knowledge of available research and technology, starting with a central knowledge repository and research on how to improve dissemination and training methods. Second, there is a need for practices and technologies to improve police-community relations, both to improve encounters with the public and to improve community relations more broadly. Third, there is a need to improve the sharing and use of information in a range of ways. These include means to get crime analysis capabilities to all agencies (including small and disadvantaged agencies), software development to reduce information overload, and model proposal and contract language to make systems interoperable. Fourth, there is a need to reduce backlogs in forensic processing; panelists suggested broadening U.S. Department of Justice forensic grants outside of DNA to help address the backlogs. Additional high-priority needs included further development of policies and use cases for unmanned aerial vehicles, best practices for selecting and using personal gear, and improving defenses against active shooters. The latter included improving both suspicious activity reporting processes and efforts to educate the public on responding to an active shooter. There is also a need for a review of technologies that might improve officers' health. Key Findings Four Top Themes Identified There is a demand for practices and technologies to improve practitioners' knowledge of technologies and how to use them. At the core of needs under this theme was a call for a virtual information repository: a single source for capturing and sharing law enforcement information. There is a call for practices and technologies to improve police-community relations. Very high interest in this theme is being driven largely by the social and political tensions raised in recent years, in the wake of officer-involved shootings controversies and civic unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, Baltimore, Maryland, and other jurisdictions. There is a need to improve the sharing and use of information. This includes identifying what information is most useful, to avoid the problem of officers being overloaded with information. There is a need to improve forensic capabilities. Many needs here concerned remediating forensic backlogs and lacks of resources driving them. Additional High-Priority Needs There is a need to improve a range of personal equipment and practices for using them. There is a need to develop policies and core use cases for unmanned aerial systems. There is a need to improve dispatch center operations. There is a need to improve defenses against active shooters, both to improve reporting to detect them before they attack and to improve training on how the public should respond. There is a need to identify requirements for technologies to improve officers' physical and mental health. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2017. 136p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 1, 2017 at: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1814.html Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1814.html Shelf Number: 147003 Keywords: Computers Information Technology Law Enforcement Technology Police Education and TrainingPolice Technology (U.S.)Police-Community Relations |
Author: Hollywood, John Title: Addressing Emerging Trends to Support the Future of Criminal Justice: Findings of the Criminal Justice Technology Forecasting Group Summary: The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has established the Criminal Justice Technology Forecasting Group (CJTFG), an expert advisory panel that includes both practitioners and researchers to deliberate on the effects that major technology and social trends could have on criminal justice in the next three to five years and identify potential responses. This report captures the results from the CJTFG's meetings and initiatives. It presents the emerging trends and highlights of the group's discussion about them. It then presents the results of analyses to assess connections between the trends, leading to recognizing the crosscutting themes that those connections represent. In addition, the report presents analyses to generate a set of recommended ways to address the trends that the full group reviewed and approved. The CJTFG covered a wide range in topics in its deliberations, identifying close to two dozen trends contributing to six overarching themes along with their potential impacts. The group, with the assistance of the RAND Corporation, BJA, and the Institute for Intergovernmental Research, has identified more than a dozen ways ahead in response and sponsored initiatives in direct support of four of these ways ahead. Key Findings A Lack of Business Cases, Implementation Processes, and Security, Privacy, and Civil Rights Knowledge Hamper IT Opportunities Few know how to use and acquire many of the new technologies efficiently and effectively. Few know about the security, privacy, and civil rights protections needed to employ them safely. Business Cases and Processes for Technologies Are Lacking Business processes for operationalizing new technologies are lacking. Big Data and Analytics Are Emerging The emergence of analytics, big data, and situational awareness displays, devices, and data streams offers substantial opportunities, barriers, and risks for the criminal justice community. Security, Privacy, and Civil Rights See Challenges from New Technologies Cybersecurity protections and investigations are increasingly needed. Emerging surveillance technologies require new legal foundations. Increasing commercial pressures on unbreakable encryption might be hampering criminal investigations. The Field Needs to Get to Criminal Justice Community-Wide Integration Information must be integrated and shared, and digital evidence must be managed on a massive scale, if the field is to systematically benefit from new technologies. Safety and Community Relations Need Research and Development to Improve Agencies are facing pressures to adopt community-based models of law enforcement while pressure also mounts to crack down on violence and terrorism. Accountability, body-worn cameras, and improved less-lethal weapons are needed. New Technologies Bring New Challenges Implementing new technology, such as touch and rapid DNA and remote weapon detection, could have serious and unintended consequences but also major and unanticipated benefits. Recommendations Develop common business cases and process templates for operationalizing new technologies. Conduct research to improve how criminal justice technology information is made available to both practitioners and researchers. Integrate security, privacy, and civil rights protections into the common business processes for adapting new technologies. Educate the public on how criminal justice technologies work or (do not work) in the real world. Collect data on the going-dark problem of investigators being unable to access devices with strong encryption. Research how to change organizational cultures to support information-sharing and safeguarding. Develop regional and shared-services models for information-sharing capabilities. Identify practices and technologies that can both reduce crime and improve community relations. Explore exchanges with international partners on how to use cameras for investigative and accountability purposes. Develop new immobilization and restraint devices to provide alternatives to lethal uses of force. Assess the potential of remote weapon-detection capabilities. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2018. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 31, 2018 at: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1987.html Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1987.html Shelf Number: 150419 Keywords: ComputersCriminal Justice TechnologyInformation SharingInformation TechnologyLaw Enforcement Technology |
Author: Babuta, Alexander Title: Machine Learning Algorithms and Police Decision-Making: Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Challenges Summary: This report explores the applications of machine learning algorithms to police decision-making, specifically in relation to predictions of individuals' proclivity for future crime. In particular, it examines legal, ethical and regulatory challenges posed by the deployment of such tools within an operational policing environment. In the UK, the use of machine learning algorithms to support police decision-making is in its infancy, and there is a lack of research examining how the use of an algorithm influences officers' decision-making in practice. Moreover, there is a limited evidence base on the efficacy and efficiency of different systems, their cost-effectiveness, their impact on individual rights and the extent to which they serve valid policing aims. Limited, localised trials should be conducted and comprehensively evaluated to build such an evidence base before moving ahead with large-scale deployment of such tools. There is a lack of clear guidance and codes of practice outlining appropriate constraints governing how police forces should trial predictive algorithmic tools. This should be addressed as a matter of urgency to enable police forces to trial new technologies in accordance with data protection legislation, respect for human rights and administrative law principles. While machine learning algorithms are currently being used for limited policing purposes, there is potential for the technology to do much more, and the lack of a regulatory and governance framework for its use is concerning. A new regulatory framework is needed, one which establishes minimum standards around issues such as transparency and intelligibility, the potential effects of the incorporation of an algorithm into a decision-making process, and relevant ethical issues. A formalised system of scrutiny and oversight, including an inspection role for Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, is necessary to ensure adherence to this new framework. There are various issues concerning procurement contracts between the police and private sector suppliers of predictive policing technology. It is suggested that all relevant public procurement agreements for machine learning algorithms should explicitly require that it be possible to retroactively deconstruct the algorithm in order to assess which factors influenced the model's predictions, along with a requirement for the supplier to be able to provide an expert witness who can provide details concerning the algorithm's operation if needed, for instance in an evidential context. The legal and ethical issues concerning the use of machine learning algorithms for policing are complex and highly context-dependent. Machine learning algorithms require constant attention and vigilance to ensure that the predictions they provide are as accurate and as unbiased as possible, and that any irregularities are addressed as soon as they arise. For this reason, multidisciplinary local ethics boards should be established to scrutinise and assess each case of algorithmic implementation for policing. Such boards should consist of a combination of practitioners and academics, and should provide recommendations to individual forces for practice, strategy and policy decisions relating to the use of algorithms. A collaborative, multidisciplinary approach is needed to address the complex issues raised by the use of machine learning algorithms for decision-making. At the national level, a working group consisting of members from the fields of policing, computer science, law and ethics should be tasked with sharing 'real-world' innovations and challenges, examining operational requirements for new algorithms within policing, with a view to setting out the relevant parameters and requirements, and considering the appropriate selection of training and test data. Officers may need to be equipped with a new skill set to effectively understand, deploy and interpret algorithmic tools in combination with their professional expertise, and to make assessments of risk using an algorithmically generated forecast. It is essential that the officers using the technology are sufficiently trained to do so in a fair and responsible way and are able to act upon algorithmic predictions in a way that maintains their discretion and professional judgement. Details: London: Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI), 2018. 45p. Source: Internet Resource: Whitehall Report 3-18: Accessed November 14, 2018 at: https://rusi.org/sites/default/files/201809_whr_3-18_machine_learning_algorithms.pdf.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://rusi.org/sites/default/files/201809_whr_3-18_machine_learning_algorithms.pdf.pdf Shelf Number: 153462 Keywords: Information TechnologyNational Security Police Decision-Making Police Discretion Police Technology Predictive Policing |