Social media and crime

The unanimous finding of the congress was that the risks lurking therein are underestimated at all levels. That is why VSPB-President Jean-Marc Widmer: "Politicians must also become aware of this and provide the guarantors of internal security with the appropriate instruments."

Social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the like enrich everyday life. For many, a day without them is no longer imaginable. However, you should definitely think carefully about what and how you communicate, because social media is the virtual village square of today. "Don't post anything on your channels that you wouldn't print out and hang next to the village fountain," recommended Jean-Marc Widmer, President of the Association of Swiss Police Officers (VSPB), in his opening speech, emphasizing: "The Internet forgets nothing and, as is known from cybercrime, people with criminal intentions always find a way to gain the access they want."

"Once on the Net, always on the Net!"

In his introductory presentation focusing on fraud, bullying and violation of privacy, Prof. Dr. Werner Hartmann, an expert in digital media, showed how easily criminals can achieve their goals. He demonstrated this, for example, with a fake Facebook presence for the head of communications of the VSPB, saying: "Tomorrow morning at the latest, he will have certain problems when he leaves the house. Because, once on the net, always on the net. There also a right to delete or forget is of no use!" He went on to give several examples of how effectively social engineering works and how easily it can be used to obtain secret information. That's why we should stop looking only for technological solutions and neglect the human factor: "We have to let go of the belief that in a globalized world we can ensure security, trust and openness with yesterday's methods. We first need an understanding of the digital world." That is why legislation and jurisdiction must be adapted to the digital age as quickly as possible.

Territorial borders vs. borderless network

According to the Federal Prosecutor, Michael Lauber, the partial relocation of criminal acts into virtual spaces would not release the prosecution authorities from the need to produce real evidence that can be used in court. In order to be able to ascertain corresponding evidence according to criminal procedure standards, "level playing fields" between law enforcement and the perpetrators would therefore also have to be created in the area of modern communication technologies. "The Internet must not be a lawless space," said the federal prosecutor, stressing that prevention and education are very important alongside repression.

Police can benefit from social media

The commander of the Bernese cantonal police and president of the Conference of Cantonal Police Commanders KKPKS, Dr. Stefan Blättler, pointed out the challenge and opportunities of social networks for daily police work. "The Internet has certain characteristics that present the police with a new challenge. These include speed, high reach, uncontrollability and anonymity," said the president of the KKPKS and emphasized, "In addition, technical knowledge is essential for law enforcement, because the subject matter is very complex." It is a challenge for the police to actively control the communication flows, he said. After all, this is the only way to maintain control over the interpretive sovereignty of the digital public. In this context, he says, it is essential that the corps concerned always present the situation in a factual and objective manner, even though social media works with a lot of emotions and likes to dramatize. On the other hand, he said, those who actively use social media can also use it for their own purposes. "With the bundling of forces and targeted use, I am convinced that we can keep up with the new developments, even use them for our own benefit, and perhaps even become friends," emphasized Dr. Stefan Blättler, citing as an example the de-escalating effect in the presence of false rumors by cogently refuting them on social media. Also in the recruitment of new employees or the control of crowds, also called crowd management. At large events, these new communication tools would help in the daily work.