sasshay
Posts: 38
Joined: 3/5/2006
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I found this on wired dot com slash news. I don't know if this will help but if the guy even suspected something could be used to track him, maybe he will back off.
Florida State University researchers have developed a system for gathering evidence against online predators and cyberstalkers.
The Predators and Prey Alert, or Papa, system monitors all communications on a victim's computer and helps police gather evidence in online harassment and solicitation cases.
While e-mail can easily be saved as evidence in harassment cases, predators often use multiple modes of online communication, such as online chat rooms, which are harder to record as evidence.
"Capturing (stalkers') real-time chat and instant messages have been obstacles in these cases," said principal investigator Sudhir Aggarwal, a Florida State computer science professor.
Plugged into a USB port of the victim's PC, the Papa system is a secure black box that automatically records all exchanges displayed on screen.
The system captures all modes of communication -- e-mail, chat-room interactions and instant messaging.
"The system is designed to be agnostic," Aggarwal said. "It doesn't matter what app they're using, because we can capture everything with this system."
While online, law enforcement officials can remotely monitor all communications and coach the victim using a separate channel.
It also allows the agents to step in if necessary. With the victim's permission, police can remotely take control of the victim's computer and interact directly with the suspect.
"Having agents remotely take over victims' systems to pursue online pedophiles who stalk kids in chat rooms would be a good use of this system," said professor Robert D'Ovidio of Drexel University, who specializes in criminal justice and cybercrime.
Other applications could include training law enforcement agents to pursue cyberstalkers and monitoring the online communications of parolees and prisoners, said Wade Grant, program coordinator for the National White Collar Crime Center, which is helping to evaluate the system.
Depending on demand from law enforcement officials, the Papa system could be commercialized within a year or so, Aggarwal said.
One obstacle the developers face is a lack of cyberstalking statistics. Online harassment isn't usually tracked by law enforcement agencies -- yet. Many states don't have cyberstalking statutes.
"Cyberstalking as a separate stand-alone statute is pretty new," said Grant. "It's hard to make these cases and (to) document the suspect's behavior."
Last fall, Joelle Ligon made history when -- led by the U.S. attorney's office in Seattle -- she won the first federal case against a cyberstalker, an ex-boyfriend.
The case was costly and involved a large team of investigators, including the Northwest Cyber Crime Task Force -- comprising agents from the FBI, the Secret Service, IRS, Seattle Police Department and Washington State Patrol. Making the case would have been a lot easier if the sizeable law enforcement team involved had been able to gather more detailed evidence.
Steve Schroeder, adjunct professor at Seattle University Law School and one of the first federal prosecutors to pursue cybercrime cases in the late 1990s, said it's possible that such large teams might not be needed in the future, in part because of systems like Papa.
Schroeder said, "(I'm) intrigued. It's the first system I've seen to automate the process of gathering evidence against (cyberstalking) suspects. One agent could monitor multiple victims' (accusers) simultaneously."
_____________________________
It's not the size of the dog in the fight
it's the size of the fight in the dog.
~Mark Twain~
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