The potential harm of web-sleuthing activities on the families of long-term missing persons and unsolved homicides: A Note on the Need for Regulation

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to identify a need to monitor and regulate websleuthing activities via networked online spaces. Websleuthing activities do vary but generally involve members of the public finding information, creating narratives, and forming hypotheses on a range of crimes. For some websleuths, their engagement with these platforms is recreational and done only for their personal gain, while others seek to help families. The problematic element of websleuthing activities is the individuals who traverse into digital vigilantes. Digital vigilantes pose problems for their ethical approaches to seeking information potentially breaching legislative rules adhered to by policing bodies and can border on harassment of the victim’s family and friends. The area of concern for this article is how the lack of regulation can be detrimental to the families of cold case homicides and long-term missing persons. Through Pauline Boss’ (1999) concept of “ambiguous loss”, families seek investigative support online to find answers, obtain a degree of closure, and continue the investigation of their loved one’s case. Websleuthing is one avenue of support for families. The authors experiences of working with families of cold cases and long-term missing persons demonstrate how websleuthing practices can be harmful, and further exacerbate the family’s trauma. This article identifies why regulations on websleuthing activities is important, and how better management and monitoring of such sites can avoid families having unrealistically raised hopes and expectations.