Gangs in U.S. major cities use social media to brag

Gangs in U.S. major cities use social media to brag. November. 27, 2017 08:21. by Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com.

U.S. investigation authorities are put on alert as social media such as Facebook and YouTube are used for criminal purposes in major cities including Chicago, Illinois and Wilmington, Delaware.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that social media, which can communicate immediately and directly, are facilitating crimes of enraged criminal organizations.

Gangs use social media to provoke and fan their rivals in Wilmington and Dallas, Texas. Dallas Police found Facebook and Instagram posts by gangs that designated a dueling location after an argument.

Chicago, the third biggest city after New York and Los Angeles in the United States, has become a hotbed of crimes caused by social media. “A lot of incidents happening on social media end up with gun violence,” said Chicago police to The Wall Street Journal. Crimes related to social media in Chicago have exceeded 600 over the last two years.

On Facebook Live or YouTube, Chicago gangs upload video clips in which they “diss (slander)” and shoot guns against other gangs. “Rappers boast their victory through violent raps. For instance, they brag about burning bodies of rival gang members. More crimes occur because the gangs took a hit try to make revenge,” said Donnell Williams of civic group Sunshine Gospel Ministries.

Social media companies are bewildered. Facebook announced that they will increase security staff to manage angry remarks from 10,000 to 20,000.

The company also said 146 million Facebook users might have been exposed to incorrect information spread by Russia from January 2015 to August 2017. YouTube and Twitter also acknowledged 1,108 You Tube videos and 36,746 twitter accounts are connected to incorrect content created by Russia.