Toronto/CMEDIA: Online research by police reportedly by digital investigations involving dangerous threats often requires a heavy workload.
The incident of what happened reportedly in February is an example when RCMP and Bridgewater Nova Scotia (NS) Police alleged a 14-year-old in Manitoba began talking online with a 15-year-old in NS about alleged planning of simultaneous attacks on schools in both provinces.
“These kinds of crimes have no borders,” said Cpl. Mandy Edwards with the Nova Scotia RCMP, who added, police usually work closely with social media platforms to uncover suspicious messages and internet activity that could be perceived as dangerous. “It is usually because an electronic service provider, such as Facebook or Instagram, notes something of concern.”
Following a tip from Interpol and the FBI, the alleged plot was uncovered and both teens were arrested.
“Depending on what is said, the details that are provided, the extent of the plan or conversation, that all has to be evaluated,” said Edwards, who pointed out that law enforcement in Canada must adhere to privacy laws when monitoring online messages. “Unless we are notified of a threat, or we obtain judicial authorization, that’s when police will be able to review emails or text messages.”
The dual-province case and subsequent arrests, said Cyber security Analyst Ritesh Kotak, were an example of a thorough and highly technical digital investigation, with multiple law enforcement agencies working together.
“With a case like this, you need police to be competent in traditional ways of policing, but also in new ways of policing as well,” said Kotak.
After the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge B.C. that saw eight people killed, Kotak said there is now an increased level of awareness for these types of threat, as police look for strategies on how to stop the violence.
One of the biggest challenges according to Kotak is when to determine if a threat is real, and when legal action should be taken.
“It is very difficult to decipher fact from fiction, and it still requires really good investigators that are trained to be able to take a piece of information, to know if it is pertinent or irrelevant,” said Kotak.
Like any traditional investigation a basic assessment by police is required for online threats.
“Depending on what is said, the details that are provided, the extent of the plan or conversation, that all has to be evaluated,” said Edwards.
In spite of the progress made when assessing online threats, Kotak argued that social media platforms still need to be more vigilant when reporting suspicious online activity.
“At what point should platforms be held accountable, to be told to turn over certain pieces of information that could lead to an arrest,” said Kotak.
Law enforcement still needs increased levels of staffing, training and investigative support, Kotak believes to facilitate successful identification of possible online threats.
Research from New Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) “The Role of Network Visibility in Protecting Modern Environments” reveals how improving analyst efficiency and restoring confidence to the Security Operations Center (SOC), leading organizations are closing the gap between detection and response with the one source of truth that never lies: the network.
