Starting this month, concealed gun owners will need to give details of their social media accounts. These will be checked for character and conduct. This new law, recently in effect in New York City, is part of an August law that tried to keep some firearms limits in place after the Supreme Court ruled that all citizens are entitled to personal protection.

Kathy Hochul, the Governor of New York signed the bill into Law in July. She noted at that time that mass shooters had “telegraphed their intention to harm others online”.

The new law requires applicants to give local officials a list with current and past social media accounts for the last three years. Local sheriffs, judges and country clerks can then go through the profiles to see if any applicants make statements that suggest dangerous conduct.

The new law is not for everyone.

Local officials may have been asked if they have the necessary resources and, in certain cases, if the law actually is constitutional. Other questions to be considered include whether the best “mirror”, social media, is actually the most efficient, for one’s mental condition.

Although research is not conclusive, it does indicate that social media posts often reveal a person’s mental state. “This effect is stronger in people with more extreme feelings,” stated Colin Campbell (associate professor of marketing at University of San Diego’s Knauss School of Business, and editor-in–chief of Journal of Advertising Research.

Some people have a dim view of the potential uses for technology.

Jim Purtilo (associate professor of computer science, University of Maryland) said that setting up a process that demands all of the social media be read and judged “seems like a plan for stonewalling the approval process.”

“Leaving aside the policy’s sketchy constitutionality, bureaucrats will be free to pick and choose who should receive consideration – a blatantly political practice,” added Purtilo.

Hacking the System

It is true in some of the recent mass shootings that some of the individuals – notably young men – have dropped hints on the social platforms. The gunman responsible for the shooting deaths of 19 school children in Uvalde and two teachers at Uvalde Elementary School, Texas was a perfect example.

But it is still unclear if people would give what law enforcement wants to see and, more importantly, what they might want to keep secret.

Campbell stated that it was a problem to know whether applicants submitted full lists of social media accounts. Campbell suggested that people could make a conscious decision to show only those accounts they think will be liked, or they might lie and claim they don’t have any social media accounts. Multiple accounts can be created under different pseudonyms to share content and anonymously follow other accounts.

One option would be for law enforcement to work directly with the social media services, …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer

Author: Aaron