Use of Facebook in Investigations

The request was successful.

Dear Flintshire County Council

Please find the below request, as two seperate requests- one to the Planning Department and the other to the Trading Standards Department.

1) Does the authority allow its investigative officers to use Facebook as a means of obtaining intelligence or any other information which would contribute to an investigation?

2) If yes, I would like to know how many ‘Facebook Profiles’ have been used to access Facebook and gather evidence or intelligence which has contributed to an investigation.

3) Of the profiles used for the purpose of accessing information on Facebook, how many were:

A) Overt profiles in the officers own name;

B) Covert profiles using a pesudonym or concealed identity.

4) Does the authority permit the use of pseudonym Facebook Profiles for the purpose of making contact with unsuspecting offenders?
Eg investigating rogue traders Or planning law breaches.

5) If yes to the above, have officers been received training on such methods of investigation, specifically the use of social media profiles in a covert manner.

Lavinia M Stockham, Flintshire County Council

Dear Ms Ledsom,

I write to acknowledge receipt of your attached Freedom of Information request which has been given the reference number R016274. I have logged your e-mail as one request as it will be the same FOI contact officer for Planning and Environment who will be processing your request.

Should you send any further correspondence about this request, please include the reference number and either e.mail it to [Flintshire County Council request email], or post it to Freedom of Information, Flintshire County Council, Information Governance, County Hall, Mold, Flintshire, CH7 6NB.

Regards,

FOI Contact Officer
____________________________________________________________________________________
FOI Contact Officer | Swyddog Cyswllt Rhyddid Gwybodaeth
Governance | Llywodraethu
Flintshire County Council | Cyngor Sir y Fflint
____________________________________________________________________________________
Tel | Ffôn | 01352 702121
Email | Ebost | [Flintshire County Council request email]
http://www.flintshire.gov.uk | http://www.siryfflint.gov.uk
http://www.twitter.com/flintshirecc | http://www.twitter.com/csyfflint

show quoted sections

Lesley Matischok, Flintshire County Council

Dear Mr Ledsom

Please find below details in reply to your request, the following
information is relating to trading Standards.

1) Does the authority allow its investigative officers to use Facebook as
a means of obtaining intelligence or any other information which would
contribute to an investigation?

Yes

2) If yes, I would like to know how many ‘Facebook Profiles’ have been
used to access Facebook and gather evidence or intelligence which has
contributed to an investigation.

1

3) Of the profiles used for the purpose of accessing information on
Facebook, how many were:

A) Overt profiles in the officers own name;

Yes

B) Covert profiles using a pesudonym or concealed identity.

N/A

4) Does the authority permit the use of pseudonym Facebook Profiles for
the purpose of making contact with unsuspecting offenders?
Eg investigating rogue traders Or planning law breaches.

Never used

5) If yes to the above, have officers been received training on such
methods of investigation, specifically the use of social media profiles in
a covert manner.

Although we have never used a pseudonym officers have received training on
the use of such methods of investigation.

Yours sincerely

Lesley Matischok

Freedom of Information Act: Complaints Procedure

If you are dissatisfied with the Council’s handling of your request for
information, you can ask for an internal review within 2 months of the
date of this response. Where your complaint is a complex one it may not be
possible to deal with it within the above timescales. In such a situation
a progress report will be sent within the above timescales.

Requests for an internal review should be addressed to the Council’s
Information Governance Manager at:

Information Governance Team,
County Hall,
Mold,
CH7 6NA

Or by emailing [1][Flintshire County Council request email]

Please remember to quote your original request’s reference number.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner. The
Information Commissioner can be contacted at the following address:

Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire,
SK9 5AF.

However, please note that the Commissioner will not normally investigate a
complaint until it has been through our own internal review process.

The contents of this communication and any enclosed documents may be
subject to copyright protection. It has been sent to you for your
information and you may use it for any non-commercial research you may be
doing or undertaking. Its contents can also be used for the purposes of
news reporting. Any other re-use, for example, commercial publication or
publication on a website, requires the permission of this Council. If you
wish to re-use this information please contact us, letting us know how you
wish to re-use it and what the intended audience will be so that we can
consider your request. This information should be sent to: The Records
Manager, Flintshire County Council, County Hall, Mold, Flintshire CH7 6NB,
or [2][email address]

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We welcome correspondence in Welsh. We will respond to correspondence
received in Welsh without delay.

Opinions advice, conclusions and other information in this

message that do not relate to the official business of

Flintshire County Council shall be understood as neither

given nor endorsed by it or on its behalf, and consequently

Flintshire County Council shall bear no responsibility

whatsoever in respect thereof.

Rydym yn croesawu gohebiaeth Gymraeg. Ymatebwn yn ddi-oed i ohebiaeth a
dderbynnir drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.

Deellir na fydd unrhyw safbwyntiau, na chynghorion, na

chasgliadau nac unrhyw wybodaeth arall yn y neges hon,

nad ydynt yn berthnasol i waith swyddogol

Cyngor Sir y Fflint, yn cael eu cynnig na'u cadarnhau ganddo

nac ar ei ran, ac felly ni fydd Cyngor Sir y Fflint yn derbyn

unrhyw gyfrifoldeb am y rhannau hynny o'r neges.

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References

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