Regional Organized Crime Information Center SPECIAL RESEARCH REPORT

By ROCIC Publications Specialist Beau Johnson

Internet social networks friendster.com. These sites work in the same basic way that MySpace.com does, allowing users to offer users many benefits, create profiles, upload music, pictures, and videos, communicate with one another and form special but they also attract interest groups. criminals who exploit the Social networking sites offer users many positive benefits, such as a sense of community, interac- web sites for illegal tion, information, ability to explore mutual interests with others, social outlets, and more. But activity and jeopardize like most technologies, the benefits come with a price. MySpace.com attracts criminals such as youth users. scam artists, drug pushers, and computer hack- ers (MySpace.com content is a major source of very day, more criminals establish a pres- spyware and Trojan programs). Last month, an ence on the Internet. Consequently, more Arizona woman was arrested on murder con- Ecrimes become linked to online resources spiracy charges after hiring an undercover detec- and content. MySpace.com is the most popular tive (posing as a contract killer) to kill a woman web site for social networking and a resource for whose picture she had seen on her boyfriend’s other content. The site also has many criminal MySpace.com users. Law enforcement is using the Internet and page. But the web sites like MySpace.com to gather intelligence worst-case on suspects, keep tabs on gang activities, lure sex scenario with offenders into arrests, and learn more about other MySpace. types of cyber crime and ways to prevent online com use is victimization in their community. the tremendous num- MySpace.com and other Internet social network- ber of low ing sites offer users the opportunity to commu- self-esteem, nicate with friends and meet new people online. attention- Users of these sites set up “profiles,” a homepage seeking youth where their hobbies, interests, friends, family, and attracted to ambitions can be explored—exposing as much of the site who their life online as they wish. The freedom, ease can become of use, and possibilities of MySpace.com attracts prey to sexual users in droves. MySpace.com currently has 63 predators and million registered users and attracts 200,000 new Suggestive ads on MySpace.com may gang recruiters. encourage sexual deviants. users daily, making it the largest networking portal on the World Wide Web. It is almost certain that those numbers will dramatically increase in a mat- Sexual Predators ter of months. And anything attracting that many MySpace.com emboldens sexual predators by pro- people will draw more than a few bad seeds. viding an environment that they can easily use to

MySpace.com is not the only popular website catering to social needs. Other major networking sites include facebook.com, bebo.com, piczo.com, xanga.com, and A large part of the problem with sex crime related to MySpace.com involves juveniles posting racy content in an effort to be noticed. They can easily invite the attention of a predator.

Regional Organized Crime Information Center Special Research Report • Online Communities Abused by Predators, Gangs

revel in their fantasies and gather information on Internet community consisting of millions of us- children without immediately revealing their mo- ers; many juveniles (female and male) will upload tives. Molesters and rapists are extremely danger- personal photos that are very suggestive if not ous groups on their explicit. MySpace.com has a policy to remove own, but content such graphic photos and content, but that content found on MySpace. must usually be reported to MySpace.com by com can encourage other users if it is to be removed. Despite the site’s their perversion. resources, combing through tens of millions of personal pages for objectionable content is not For starters, adver- feasible. Furthermore, many of the posted pictures tisers on the site would only be questionable and not removed. The know that most images may be of scantily clad girls, girls in com- users are looking promising positions, or a teenage boy showing off for romantic rela- his physique, which may not be graphic enough to tionships, and the constitute removal from the site, but definitely are ads on MySpace. encouraging material to a pedophile. com reflect that. Many of the ads “A lot of social machines are small companies are risqué and that struck it rich, so they’re lacking layers of may encourage security,” said Parry Aftab, Executive Director of sexual deviants. CyberLawEnforcement.org, a watchdog group that Ads and other works with law enforcement and social network- content on the ing sites to promote online safety. “There’s no way site promote the for those sites to authenticate users, and kids are idea to youth putting themselves at risk. They make it easy for that such sub- the serious bad guys.” ject matter is Email commonplace, Aftab said that social dynamics in cyberspace have invitations appealing, changed the conventions for sexual predators. to join webcam and necessary groups and for them to “Sixty percent of eight to 15-year-olds have been other pornography achieve their involved in cyber bullying and/or harassment, sites are common- goals when making it the most prevalent form of online abuse. ly sent to MySpace. using the Cyber bullying becomes sexual harassment and com users. site. In fact, cyber stalking,” said Aftab. “At 11, children start MySpace.com users are frequently to fall to sexual predators. That used to end when invited to become friends with members or join they reached 15 because they used to be smart existings groups simply to promote and pull in enough to avoid it after that. Social networking traffic to pornographic sites. changed that. To be noticed on social networks, 16 and 17-year-olds are taking more risks, acting Teen self-promotion and questionable content outrageous to get someone to notice their profile.” posted by users are the main problems with MySpace.com. It is difficult to be noticed in an Children and teenagers may also act uncharacter- istically online because they feel safe doing so. They do not realize the danger should someone want to find them.

“Perceived anonymity makes A large part of the problem with sex crime related to MySpace.com involves juveniles posting racy content in an effort to be noticed. They can easily invite the attention of a predator.

Regional Organized Crime Information Center Special Research Report • Online Communities Abused by Predators, Gangs kids portray themselves differently and attract a restaurant. Long had a troubled family life, but predators. But social networks are public. Young she was popular, an honors student, altar girl, and girls sometimes think that to play around with men cheerleader. She did not fit the common profile of who approach them online is funny. They are not a young victim—typically a quiet loner. The Inter- prepared for the level of risk and they don’t use net made the difference. optional privacy settings because they want to be out there,” said Aftab. Christina Long lived an alternate life online. She used provocative screen names, had a website that In 2002, Christina Long, a 13-year-old Con- stated she was “ready for anything,” and routinely necticut girl, became the first confirmed fatality in met for sex with partners she had met in online the U.S. by an Internet sexual predator. She was chat rooms. She had been with Dos Reis several strangled to death by Saul Dos Reis, an illegal times before he killed her. While Long was the alien from Brazil, who was married and worked in first child killed by an online predator, she was not the last. Sadly, there will be many more. STATISTICS OF ONLINE Criminal Gangs Online “Netbanging” is the term used for gang activity YOUTH VICTIMIZATION online. It has existed for years, but is now becoming prevalent enough to catch the attention of law According to 2005 data from the National enforcement. Using sites such as MySpace.com and Center for Missing & Exploited Children YouTube.com, an online video-posting site, gang published in Online Victimization of Youth members can pose with colors, signs, and weapons, and Internet Sex Crimes Agains Minors: The post gangsta-rap videos, promote themselves, and Response of Law Enforcment: threaten their rivals.

• One in seven children were exposed to un- wanted sexual solicitations on the Internet • One in three youth were exposed to un- wanted sexual material (despite usage of blocking filters and monitoring software) • One in 11 youth were harassed online • Off-line acquaintances accounted for 14 percent of online solicitation and harassment • 67 percent of offenders who commtted any type of Internet sex crime against minors possessed child pornography • The majority of offenders were white males older than 25, acting alone • 39 percent of all Internet sex-crime arrests are crimes against identified victims Internet social networking is used by all types of gangs and hate groups. • 36 percent are for Internet child pornography Gang members love to show off. They are limited • 25 percent of arrests are Internet solicita- by time, exposure, and possible police intervention tions to undercover law enforcement elsewhere, but believe that they can get away with • Indications are that law enforcement activ- anything on the Internet. Gang sites vary in complex- ity and subsequent arrests are growing in ity depending on the clique and its resources. Online the Internet crime domain exposure now exists for commonplace street gangs (Bloods, Crips, etc.), flourishing Hispanic gangs

Regional Organized Crime Information Center Special Research Report • Online Communities Abused by Predators, Gangs

(MS-13, Surenos, 18th Street, etc.), hate groups (Ku Parental Intervention Klux Klan, National Alliance, Hammerskins, etc.), Parental involvement is crucial in preventing kids and even typically more professional and cautious from getting involved in gang activity via the In- motorcycle gangs (Hells Angels, Outlaws, Iron ternet or becoming the victim of a sexual predator. Horsemen, etc.). “It’s easy for a child to get online and be recruited into a gang or put in a sexual predator’s grasp,” said Rehm. “The threat level boils down to how much you’re involved. Talk to your kids.”

Rehm also mentioned specific measures to help keep kids safe.

“Bring your computer into a common area and use monitoring software. If nothing else, get on there and see how it works,” he said.

Both Det. Rehm and Parry Aftab of Cyberlawen- forcement.org encouraged parents to take classes Gangs like to use MySpace.com to brag about exploits and to familiarize themselves with Internet safety. insult their enemies, which often brings trouble on the street. Consulting www.wiredsafety.org’s Wired-Ed pro- “We’re definitely seeing a lot more gang members gram is a good place to start. posing with their colors and signs online,” said Senior Detective Lee Rehm of Juvenile and Gang Aftab said that parents should teach their children Investigations with the Port St. Lucie, Fla. Police De- to restrict what they post online. partment and Director of Intelligence for the Florida Gang Investigators Association. “We’d like to have “Use the least amount of personal information a detective assigned to investigating MySpace.com possible for the purpose. Make sure that the photos profiles full-time because if you look at one profile and photo backgrounds don’t give away informa- and view their friends, you’re instantly ten deep.” tion that could tip off a predator, such as a school name.” Earlier this year in Miami, Fla., a war broke out between two Haitian gangs fueled by a San Castle MySpace.com does have some safeguards in place Soldiers Internet rap video posted on MySpace. to protect children. For instance, no one under 14 com. The feud has left at least three gang members is allowed to have a MySpace.com profile, and dead in drive-by shootings, and also an innnocent MySpace.com users are largely prevented from 50-year-old landscaper and father of three, who searching for members who are younger than 18. was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, if a child really wants to increase their presence on the site, usually all they have to do is Gang members use the Internet and cryptic lan- lie about their age. The number of 98-year-olds on guage in order to set up meetings, issue threats, MySpace.com who don’t look a day older than 13 arrange drug deals, run prostitution rings, and is impressive. much more. Mainly, children need to understand the danger “We arrested seven gang members who were that the Internet can pose. Parents should encour- recruiting and running a prostitution ring. All of age children to use common sense and discretion them had MySpace.com accounts with rap videos online, especially with strangers. Victims of online and videos of the prostitutes,” said Rehm. abuse should not hesitate to report it to proper authorities.

Regional Organized Crime Information Center Special Research Report • Online Communities Abused by Predators, Gangs

Law Enforcement MySpace.com Use for gang members in the area. Remember to search MySpace.com can be a tremendous resource for for numbers and colors associated with the gang. investigation and undercover work by law enforce- Hiring an informant to provide monikers or trans- ment. Because of online bragging by gang mem- late online content may be necessary. bers and luring efforts of predators, tech-savvy officers can Some gangs are becoming more cautious and us- investigate ing site-privacy filters to make their online net- local gangs works less permeable. and individual members and “We’re going to try to get recruited by a local act as child gang and have set up a profile to do that,” said decoys to lure Det. Rehm of the Port St. Lucie P.D. “Some gangs predators to invite you into their group only after they have arrests. viewed your profile.”

Being familiar Recent cases demonstrate how useful online com- with gang jar- munities can be in helping police find suspects gon is impor- and gather evidence and intelligence for arrests. tant in order Criminals using the sites often post comments that to perform are functional confessions before they even know a thorough they’re wanted. Anything posted online may be search online treated as evidence, according to Justice Depart- Gang members can be careless when ment guidelines. using the Internet, and checking their web sites can reveal crimes, associates, and valuable prosecution information In January, 2006, Palmetto Bay, Fla. officers ar-

SPECIFICS OF DEALING WITH MySpace.com MySpace.com contact information for law enforcement: Custodian of Records Phone- (310) 969-7399 MySpace.com (Also serves as emergency hotline for law enforcement) 407 N. Maple Dr. Fax- (310) 969-7394 Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Email- [email protected] The primary set of laws regarding MySpace.com’s ability to disclose information is the Elec- tronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), 18 U.S.C. § 2701. For questions about these laws, contact the Department of Justice’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section at (202) 514-1026.

For assistance with online communities or to obtain a copy of the MySpace.com Law Enforce- ment Investigators Guide, contact the ROCIC Criminal Intelligence Unit at (800) 238-7986.

Data retention periods for information on MySpace.com vary from 10 to 180 days, depending on the type of data. MySpace.com will honor written requests to preserve data longer than is legally required if officers seek such an extension. MySpace.com will also act in good faith with law enforcement personnel issuing a written request to disclose information without delay, given that there is danger of serious injury or death. To make an emergency information request, contact the hotline number above.

Regional Organized Crime Information Center Special Research Report • Online Communities Abused by Predators, Gangs rested a teen for attempted second-degree murder Crime Center (www.nw3c.org), and the ROCIC after other members of his gang boasted about Training Department to inquire about applicable their violent activities on Myspace.com message training opportunities and funding. boards. Once incriminating information is found, many of- Doing computer homework can also keep law en- ficers have difficulty working with MySpace.com forcement safe—perhaps even save officer lives. and other sites to subpoena private information from users (public information useful for prosecu- On Dec. 1, 2006, officers were forced to fire on a tion can and should be saved by officers viewing Wilmington, N.C. teenager, killing him, after serv- it). To address that problem, Cyberlawenforce- ing a warrant on his home for assault and theft. ment.org has written a thorough Law Enforcement The officers went to the residence with heavily Investigators Guide that deals with the specifics armed backup because of a picture they had seen and best ways of approaching MySpace.com for on the Internet of the teen and two friends posing purposes of investigation. with an assault rifle, shotgun, and two pistols. Conclusion MySpace.com and sites like it may be useful for criminals, but they can also be used by law enforcement as tools for turning the tables. Law enforcement familiarization with the technology and legal guidelines for law enforcement use is essential.

A large part of the problem is that sexual predators, gang members, and other criminals feel like N.C. teenager and friends posing with weapons. Police saw they are safer using the Internet than any real- this photo before serving a theft and assault warrant at his world scenario. That paradigm is beginning to home, and knew to proceed cautiously. shift, however. Myspace.com continues to step up Investigators must be properly educated on secur- security measures in the interest of public safety. ing evidence because of the complex technologies Recently, Hemanshu Nigam, Myspace.com’s chief that are involved in web-based crime. Law en- security officer (and a former federal prosecutor) forcement should undergo training before attempt- said that the site would develop technologies to ing online investigations. help block convicted sex offenders from access by screening their names and physical descriptions Only approximately a fourth of law enforcement through an automated database. The system will agencies are properly trained for online investiga- then alert employees to possible matches. tions. Such training can be expensive, but there are free and low-cost options available. Agen- Increased police presence online and increased cies should contact their local Internet Crimes public awareness of online dangers can erase the Against Children (ICAC) Task Force (www. advantages of Internet-related crimes and lead to icactraining.org), the National White Collar an increased number of arrests for cyber criminals.

Regional Organized Crime Information Center Special Research Report • Online Communities Abused by Predators, Gangs

Sources of Information • Detective Lee Rehm, Juvenile and Gang Investigations, Port St. Lucie, Fla. Police Department; Director of Intelligence, Florida Gang Investigators Association

• Parry Aftab, Esquire, Executive Director, Cyberlawenforcement.org, Wiredsafety. org, Stopcyberbullying.org

• The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Online Victimization of Youth: Five Years Later. 2006. www.missingkids.com.

• The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Internet Sex Crimes Against Minors: The Response of Law Enforcement. 2003. www.missingkids.com.

• MySpace.com Law Enforcement Investigators Guide. Cyberlawenforcement.org. 2006.

• National White Collar Crime Center. NW3C Informant, March-June 2006. www. nw3c.org

• Scam Artists Flocking to MySpace.com. Searchsecurity.com. April 5, 2006.

• CBS News. The Two Faces of A 13-Year-Old Girl. May 21, 2002.

• The Smoking Gun. MySpace.com Murder Plot Foiled. Sept. 14, 2006.

• The Miami Herald. Haitian gang rivalry leads to bloodshed. Aug. 25, 2006.

• The Charlotte Observer. Web profiles new source for police.Dec. 6, 2006.

• Newsweek. Walking a New Beat. April 24, 2006.

• USA Today. Myspace takes aim at sex offenders. Dec. 6, 2006.

Notes Notes Special Research Reports by ROCIC Publications Accessible to RISS member agencies on the ROCIC secure Intranet website. Complete listing of ROCIC Bulletins, Special Research Reports, User’s Guides, and Training Conference Reports at http://rocic.riss.net/publications.htm • The International Driver’s Permit and the • DXM: Teens Abusing Cough Medicine Risk • Bioterrorism Myth of the International Driver’s License Brain Damage, Death • Criminal Intelligence: Its Use in Law • Auto Theft in the 21st Century • RISS Activity Report for G-8 Summit Enforcement in Our Changing World • Crowd Control: Dynamics, Psychology, Law • Mail Center Security • Terrorism: Defending the Homeland Enforcement Tactics • Safety & Security for Electrical • Law Enforcement and the Mentally Ill • Jamaat ul-Fuqra: Gilani Followers Infrastructure: Protecting Law Enforcement Conducting Paramilitary Training in U.S. and the Public in Emergency Situations • Civil Disorder: Preparing for the Worst • Khat: Trafficking in Foreign Plant Linked to • Crisis Response Report: Terrorist Attacks & • Ecstasy: Harmless Party Drug Or Terrorist Financing Natural Disasters Dangerous Trend? • Active Shooter: Protecting the Lives of • Eco Terrorism: Extremists Pose Domestic • Heroin: More Purity For Less Money Innocents in Shooting Situations Threat • OxyContin Abuse Explodes In Southeast • Terrorism Threat Assessment for Large • Cold Case Units: Turning up the Heat • Just Say NO To Telemarketers Facilities • Gypsies and Travelers • School Security Crisis Response Manual • Check 21: New Banking Technology Challenges Law Enforcement • User’s Guide to ATIX: Automated Trusted • XML: Communications Through Connectivity Information Exchange • ICE: Crystal Methamphetamine: Imported • Credit Card Security Features High-Purity Meth Replacing Domestic Lab • DNA: Law Enforcement’s New Investigative Tool • Stop Phone Cramming: Check Your Phone Output Bill • False ID: National Security Threat • Meth Lab Safety Issues: How to Protect • Shaken Baby Syndrome: What To Look For, Law Enforcement, First Responders, and • Salvia Divinorum: Herbal Hallucinogen What To Do the General Public from the Dangers of Raises Law Enforcement Concerns Clandestine Methamphetamine Labs • Children and Internet Safety • Smallpox: The Deadly Virus • CERT (Community Emergency Response • RAVES: When It’s More Than A Party Team): Civilian Support for First Responders • Human Trafficking: International Criminal Trade in Modern Slavery • Identity Theft: From Low Tech to High Tech • Taxing Illegal Drugs: States Attacking Profit • Hoaxes and Legends: How to Detect Motive of Dealers • Network Security: Safeguarding Systems Against the Latest Threats Hoaxes on the Internet • Diplomatic Immunity: Rules of Engagement • Truce or Consequences: Motorcycle Gangs for Law Enforcement • Dirty Bombs: Radiological Dispersion Devices Talking to Each Other • Violence Against Law Enforcement: Law • Child Pornography: Protecting the Innocent Enforcement Officers Murdered, Accidentally • Ethics in Law Enforcement Killed, Assaulted in the Line of Duty • Law Enforcement Officers and Safety • Meth Threat: Seizure of Labs by Untrained Personnel Recipe for Death and Destruction • Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13): Violent Street • Computer Forensics: Following the Gang with Military Background Electronic Trail • Illusion and Confusion: The Crime and Culture of Irish Travelers • Indicators of Terrorist Activity: Stopping the • Huffing: Teens Abusing Inhalants Next Attack in the Planning Stages • Date Rape Drugs: Rohypnol, GHB Gaining • RISSLeads Bulletin Board: Information in an Popularity in Southeast, Southwest • Internet Fraud: Techniques Used to Scam Instant Online Consumers • Security Threat Groups in Prison

ROCIC has been serving its criminal justice ROCIC provides a variety of services, free • Loaning of specialized, high‑tech surveillance members since 1973, and served as the of charge, to its criminal justice member equipment and vehicles prototype for the modern RISS (Regional agencies: • Publications, including criminal intelligence Information Sharing Systems) Centers. • Centralized law enforcement databases bulletin ROCIC serves more than 180,000 sworn with connectivity among law enforcement • Specialized training and membership & personnel in over 1,800 criminal justice agencies and the RISS Centers using the information exchange agencies located in 14 southeastern and RISS Nationwide Intelligence Network. • Use of investigative funds southwestern states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. • Analytical processing of criminal intelligence, Virgin Islands. including phone tolls and document sorts • On‑site personal assistance by law enforcement coordinators

© 2006 ROCIC • This publication was supported by Grant No. 2005-RS-CX-0002, awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The Office of Justice Programs also coordinates the activities of the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, and the Office for Victims of Crime. This document was prepared under the leadership, guidance and funding of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice in collaboration with the Regional Organized Crime Information Center (ROCIC). The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. Regional Organized Crime Information Center and ROCIC are protected by copyright laws.