Search. Click. Attack. How Easy Is It to Find An Officer's Address Online? Too Easy

摘要

That's the conclusion reached by Mark Clifford, who recently retired from law enforcement after 25 years, during which he rose to the rank of sergeant and served in a myriad of assignments, including SWAT and undercover narcotics. Prior to his retirement, Clifford worked online surveillance and reconnaissance, which revealed how certain groups were actively targeting the homes of police officers.One group in particular, Clifford recalled, encouraged people to attack an officer's family(s) while the officer is at work. "This is disturbing because the result would be that the officer stays home to protect his or her family instead of returning to duty," he said.Once, such dangerous and potentially fatal situations were rare. Now, sadly, they have become more commonplace. Since we sacrificed much of our privacy for the convenience of online shopping and participation in social media communication, your address, your phone number, the name of your spouse, and even the schools your children attend can be accessed online in seconds with a few mouse clicks.