Real-time social networking opens the door to crime

Alvaro Cruz Rojas – Editor-in-Chief

People have become fans of social networks. They immerse themselves in them out of vanity, image and naivety. Whether it is through Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, we can find out who is arguing with their partner, what they had for lunch, what shoes they bought or where they went on the weekend.

This phenomenon happens equally with teenagers, young adults, adults and even mature people. Some people will reveal things we don’t want to know, so many people like to delve into other people’s lives, either out of curiosity, to “find out”, to repeat gossip, or to criticize “friends who follow on some social network”. These are all these times.

This is also the age of cybercrime. An extreme example is the Paraguayan prosecutor who was murdered a few days ago in Colombia. Prosecutor Marcelo Page, who led important investigations in his country against organized crime, involved in drug trafficking and money laundering, thought of going on his honeymoon to a beautiful island in the Colombian Caribbean. While his wife published almost every step they took, some people arrived on a motorboat at the beach where they were enjoying their trip and murdered him.

It is likely that Page had been followed by criminals since he left Paraguay, but there is no doubt that leaving a trail of his footsteps on social networks may have led to this surveillance and his tragic end.

People don’t seem to realize what effect social media can have on them, especially young people. They don’t value their privacy or safety because the information they reveal can be used against them in the worst possible way by malicious people. There have been many cases of sexual and personal harassment using the same information. Posting photos and comments that cause harm. Not to mention troll farms, which is a widely reported and well-known topic around the world.

The extreme example of prosecutor Page shows us how dangerous this can be, it is a good lesson to take care of yourself even on social networks, it is not about hiding your life, you have the right to say what you want, but remember that there may be people who can use that information to hurt you.