Crowdsleuthing: Joining together to solve crimes and also destroy lives?

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  Quantumrun Foresight
• March 19, 2022

Insight summary

Crowdsleuthing, the practice of using online communities to investigate crimes, has become a powerful tool in modern law enforcement, but it also carries risks of misinformation and privacy violations. The trend has led to significant societal impacts, including collaboration between law enforcement and the public, potential exploitation by authoritarian regimes, and the emergence of new legal and ethical considerations. Balancing the benefits of public participation in criminal investigations with the potential drawbacks requires careful consideration of individual rights, legal frameworks, and ethical guidelines.

Crowdsleuthing context

Crowdsleuthing is a relatively new phenomenon where a group of amateurs from the general public connects over the Internet to conduct an investigation into a perceived crime. Whereas these initiatives can help solve crimes, they may also lead to unintended consequences. Arguably, crowdsleuthing is not entirely new, as anyone who remembers the 1990s hit show America's Most Wanted can attest to. However, modern-day crowdsleuthing has evolved into an entirely new phenomenon, leveraging the power of social media and online communities to gather information and evidence.

The most famous example of modern crowdsleuthing was the arrest of numerous individuals after the 2020 Capitol Riots in the US. Ordinary people shared photos and videos online and assisted law enforcement in identifying those who took part in the violence. Their efforts were aided by the tendency of people to take videos of what they are doing and post them online. This trend of public participation in criminal investigations has opened new avenues for law enforcement but also raises questions about privacy and the potential for misinformation.

Websleuths have used the Internet to fact-check a breaking news event, solve cold cases, trace and find missing children, as well as perpetrators of hate crimes. These groups have uncovered fake identities, which led to the arrest of individuals responsible for serious crimes. The practice of online sleuthing has shown the potential to harness collective intelligence for the greater good. However, it also emphasizes the need to approach such efforts with caution and awareness of the ethical considerations involved, ensuring that the pursuit of justice does not lead to unintended harm or violation of individual rights.

Disruptive impact 

While crowdsleuthing has been invaluable in solving crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice, the practice has also gone terribly wrong at times. After the 2017 Charlottesville Unite the Right march, social media sleuths identified an innocent person as a racist and exposed the individual online. The result was devastating for the person who lost his job and was subjected to vicious treatment online. A similar incident happened in the wake of the 2013 Boston Marathon tragedy.

These crowdsleuthing groups do not follow established protocols and are not held accountable by any official institution. Some of these websleuths have been known to violate confidentiality laws by initiating public online shame campaigns of suspects and publishing their personal details online (a practice some refer to as doxing). This trend can have serious implications for businesses and governments, as it may lead to legal challenges and public relations crises. 

The long-term impact of crowdsleuthing on society may be a double-edged sword. It empowers ordinary citizens to actively participate in criminal investigations, potentially speeding up the process of solving crimes and finding missing persons. However, the lack of accountability and potential for error may lead to mistrust in the process and reluctance from law enforcement to engage with these groups. Governments and organizations may need to develop frameworks to guide crowdsleuthing efforts.

Implications of crowdsleuthing 

Wider implications of crowdsleuthing may include:

• A growing collaboration and increasingly sophisticated utilization of crowdsleuthing by law enforcement and media to target persons or groups of interest, leading to more efficient investigations but also raising concerns about privacy and the potential for abuse.


• The potential exploitation of crowdsleuthing by authoritarian regimes as a tool to use the public to police themselves on behalf of the state, leading to increased surveillance and control over citizens.


• More regular public exposés of persons or groups of interest once websleuths increasingly combine their research tactics with automated AI software, leading to faster identification but also potential errors and ethical dilemmas.


• The development of new legal frameworks to regulate crowdsleuthing activities, leading to clearer guidelines for participation and protection of individual rights.


• A shift in law enforcement strategies to include collaboration with online communities, leading to a more engaged citizenry but also challenges in managing public involvement.


• The emergence of crowdsleuthing as a new career path or specialization within the field of investigation, leading to changes in the labor market and the creation of educational programs focused on ethical online investigation.


• The potential for businesses to utilize crowdsleuthing techniques for competitive intelligence or market research, leading to new methods of gathering insights but also potential legal and ethical conflicts.


• A change in social norms regarding privacy and online behavior, leading to increased awareness of the potential risks and benefits of sharing personal information on the internet.


• The integration of crowdsleuthing into educational curricula, leading to the development of critical thinking and digital literacy skills among students.


• The potential environmental impact of increased digital activity related to crowdsleuthing, leading to greater energy consumption and the need for sustainable technology solutions to mitigate the effects on the environment.

Questions to consider

• Is the crowdsleuthing phenomenon a welcome service or a menace?


• Should crowdsleuthing be outlawed?