Geofeedia: Using Social Media Against You

Geofeedia:

Using Social Media Against You

Every day, we seem to read about another person busted for their Facebook activity.  Ever wonder how the police find these posts?  There is a new tool in town that many police forces are using monitor social media.  Called Geofeedia, the tool bills itself as a “location based social media platform.” 

Their website boasts “Every day, social media users are posting important content from your locations without using the “right” keywords or hashtags. Unlike traditional social listening tools, Geofeedia runs social media search by location first — rather than by specific words (such as keywords or hashtags). The result? Geofeedia’s data set contains the hidden 70%+ of social data coming from locations, compared to traditional tools that only rely on certain words to create their data sets.”

Geofeedia is actively marketing to local police forces: “Discover, engage, and analyze social media data to prevent crime, track suspects, and investigate evolving situations in real-time”. Their website goes on to say: “GET ACTIONABLE INTEL. See what’s happening in real time and search historical data in critical locations to better understand, react to, and prevent issues.”

The tool allows local police to track ALL social media posts from a given location range.  Geofeedia has recently been raising capital for expansion. They are actively marketing their software to police departments, citing the successful use in California, Florida, New Jersey, Michigan, and Illinois.  They even offer a mobile app to make it easier to monitor people “on the go.”

Geofeedia allows the police to pull up a map and draw a circle on it. The tool then monitors ALL social media posts being made from within that circle.  The tool indexes ALL posts, photos, and videos, regardless of keywords and hash tags.  It allows police to monitor and track activity and/or individuals. They can set up alerts for keywords, users, or subjects.  They can also obtain contact information for the individuals posting.

This means that the Police can draw a circle around ANY local event and then monitor that event for posts or photos that may mention “illegal activity.”  This activity can include such things as “Managed to sneak a flask into this no alcohol allowed event,” or “Should have stopped drinking an hour ago. Now I have to drive home.”  They then can intercept the posters to arrest them for the activity mentioned in their posts.  They can also use Geofeedia to scan for potential witnesses to the activity.  They can contact that witness on the scene, or use Geofeedia's tools to obtain the contact information of that witness at a later time.

The Ocean County Police Department currently uses the tool to actively scan for cyberbullying.  The Manatee County Police Department searches for photos that include “gang signs” or possible illegal weapons.   The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office uses it to monitor for possible gang activity and fights.  Of course, these are just the uses the police advertise.  There are many other ways the tool can be used to monitor individuals, groups, and activities.  Big Brother has arrived.

If you are a Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Vine user, the police may already be monitoring your posts.  Post that photo of your Marley Blunt, and the police may be ringing your bell before you've even finished smoking it.

And unfortunately for the Social Media User, this evidence is admissible in court.  The Courts have already ruled that social media may be used against an individual without violating his constitutional rights.  There is no legal expectation for privacy on a public platform.

Like with any technology product, when one becomes successful, copy cats begin to arise.  This means we can expect competitors to start cropping up, competitors who may develop more robust tools than the one Geofeedia already has.

In the past, the courts have demanded Social Media passwords once a single admissible post has been discovered.  That means they can subpoena your entire Facebook history from Facebook itself, including posts you have since deleted. 

Do NOT allow your own posts to be used against you.  Be aware that Geofeedia is adding new police departments to its customer roster on a daily basis.  And if you find such a tool being used against you, either as a participant or as a potential witness, be sure to protect yourself by contacting an attorney IMMEDIATELY.