Recently, on Spark, we talked about how police officers are using social media. We wanted to follow up that exploration with a look at what police can and can’t do when it comes to using social media in an investigative context. Do they need a warrant to search your private Facebook account, for instance? Can they go undercover and ‘friend’ you, posing as someone else? We asked Hamish Stewart to shed some light on these issues. Hamish is Associate Professor of Law at the University of Toronto, where he teaches criminal law and the law of evidence. The answers, it turns out, are by turns fascinating, frustrating, and complex.
You can hear the full, uncut interview below, or download the MP3. [runs 17:06]
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For anyone interested in the privacy interests of Facebook photos, the students at the U of T law school devoted an entire mock hearing to it before three (actual) judges: http://bit.ly/fp9nOc
Nora, you could use an audio clip from the video in your episode on this subject, it features some passionate arguments on both sides.
Thanks! I will take a look at it. Cheers!
Really fascinating!