ABSTRACT
Security agencies and criminal justice investigators in the US and several countries around the world monitor social media under specific circumstances. In addition, political campaigns, corporations, and special interest groups monitor social media regarding issues that threaten them. They monitor their known adversaries' use of social media. This chapter reviews some monitoring trends and tools to monitor social media warfare activities. Social media sites and resources should be viewed as another tool in the law enforcement investigative toolbox and should be used in a manner that adheres to the same principles that govern all law enforcement activity. Law enforcement, emergency management agencies, intelligence gathering and analysis agencies, the US Department of State, and national security agencies such as the US Department of Homeland Security all have a need to monitor and mine publicly available online forums, blogs, public websites, message boards, and social media platforms to collect information used in providing situational awareness and to fight domestic and international terrorism.
