If you use Facebook, you know that on the side of the site it sometimes shows you “People you know”, which are basically Facebook users whom the website thinks you know based on your work or education background, or the number of mutual friends that you might have. However it turns out that is also has unintended uses.
Over in the UK, it seems that a thief who was wanted for multiple robberies and firearm offenses was actually arrested after one of his victims spotted him under the “People you know” list. He was caught and ultimately sent to jail for 17 years for his crimes, some of which included threatening women with a metal bar while attempting to rob a place, and stealing a car at gunpoint.
According to Det Con Rhiannon Daff, he said that the Facebook information was “a crucial part of the investigation” and “the final piece of the jigsaw.” This is obviously not the first time that technology has inadvertently led to the arrest of criminals. Last month Apple’s Find My iPad feature led Thailand’s police to a notorious gang’s hideout, and several years ago the Find My iPhone feature allowed police to recover $350,000 worth of stolen items.
Of course there were times when the criminals themselves were the cause of their capture, like using their stolen gadgets to take photos of themselves which led to their identification and discovery of their location.