NYPD goes online to stop school violence

NYPD goes online to stop school violence

One way the New York Police Department plans to stop a massacre like Sandy Hook Elementary School from happening is by going on cyber patrols.

Officers will go online, especially to social media like Facebook, to preemptively find potential mass killers and identify them before they strike.

The police will be using techniques learned from going on the Internet to combat terrorism. In fact the head of NYPD counterterrorism at police headquarters will be deeply involved.

The New York Civil Liberties Union would not comment on the police actions but the American Civil Liberties Union has stated before that the Privacy Act should be updated for Internet use to protect citizens' information from government intrusion.

Many security experts said the Internet itself has destroyed privacy since so many Internet companies instantly track user information and sell it to advertisers.

The police noted officers can access personal e-mails only if a search warrant is obtained.