Most modern Web robots that crawl the Internet to support value-added services and technologies possess sophisticated data collection and analysis capabilities. Some of these robots, however, may be ill-behaved or malicious, and hence,... more
Most modern Web robots that crawl the Internet to support value-added services and technologies possess sophisticated data collection and analysis capabilities. Some of these robots, however, may be ill-behaved or malicious, and hence, may impose a significant strain on a Web server. It is thus necessary to detect Web robots in order to block undesirable ones from accessing the server.
Gangs utilize social media as a way to maintain threatening virtual presences, to communicate about their activities, and to intimidate others. Such usage has gained the attention of many justice service agencies that wish to create... more
Gangs utilize social media as a way to maintain threatening virtual presences, to communicate about their activities, and to intimidate others. Such usage has gained the attention of many justice service agencies that wish to create better crime prevention and judicial services. However, these agencies use analysis methods that are labor intensive and only lead to basic, qualitative data interpretations. This paper presents the architecture of a modern platform to discover the structure, function, and operation of gangs through the lens of social media. Preliminary analysis of social media posts shared in the greater Chicago, IL region demonstrate the platform's capability to understand gang members' social media usage patterns.
