Criminal activity can occur in any space that humans can access. Unsurprisingly, with the advent and proliferation of social media, some have seized the opportunity to perpetrate crimes in this digital space, as well. More recently, law enforcement agencies have reported seeing an increase in online crimes. In particular, social media has created a unique opportunity for contemporary performance crimes. Whether these performance crimes involve informed/consensual participants or uninformed/nonconsensual participants, the effect is the same: an increase in individuals filming criminal activity and posting it online.

A survey by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in 2016 revealed that, of the responding agencies, 56 percent used social media to obtain information that could be used as evidence; 70 percent used social media to gather intelligence for investigations; and 76 percent used social media for gathering tips on crimes. There is no doubt that these numbers have increased over the past several years as agencies discover the value of utilizing this technology to obtain leads and solve crimes more quickly.