Social networking as a criminal enterprise

About this book

"This text explores how social networking has become a huge matter of contention in the criminal justice system and how the justice system is currently attempting to handle the issue. Designed for courses in undergraduate and graduate criminal justice, criminology, and information technology, the book is written by experts in this emerging area and focuses on criminal and deviant behavior as it affects and relates to social networking. It is also ideal as an instruction guide for practitioners in the criminal justice field and for trainees at law enforcement training academies"-- "Preface The birth of social networking did not originate with MySpace or Facebook. In fact, social networking websites began in 1978 based on the innovation of an IBM employee. Since that time, the appearance and use of social networking is changing on a daily basis. The ability to share ideas and communicate is one of the many uses of social networking websites, and it is continuing to evolve in appearance and purpose. With that said, with innovation comes deviance, and the social networking phenomenon has skyrocketed the ability to commit crime online. The purpose of this book is to provide the reader a thorough examination of how social networking criminality has affected our criminal justice system. Experts in the field have provided a comprehensive overview of the emergence of social networking, the types of crimes committed, and how the system is handling these offenders. Key concepts, statistics, and legislative histories are discussed in every chapter. It is the desire of the editors to educate and enlighten a wide audience, from those who are completely unfamiliar with the topic as an entirety to individuals who need more specific information on a particular type of social networking criminality. This text should be a useful guide to students, academics, and practitioners alike"--