Facebook has agreed to work with law enforcement agencies nationwide to remove accounts set up by inmates or posted on their behalf, in part because prisoners are using the social networking site to stalk victims and direct criminal activity, the Associated Press reports. It’s the latest effort to combat a problem that has grown with the advent of smart phones and social networking sites.
In California, inmates are permitted to retain Facebook profiles that were created before they went to prison. But Facebook will disable the account if it is used while the inmate is behind bars. State Prison officials said the problem has grown worse because of the growth in smuggled cell phones. Six years ago the department confiscated 261 devices, compared to 10,760 last year and 7,284 in the first half of this year.