By Jason Thomas, Thomson Reuters

On a recent trip to Minnesota, I had the pleasure of taking a cab ride from Minneapolis to St. Paul.  It’s about an hour and a half ride.  As you can imagine, the driver Tony and I got to know each other during the trip.  I particularly like to speak to cab drivers.  I like to know their story.  Most of them are not from the United States and they typically have interesting tales to tell.  Tony was no different.  He is originally from Nigeria (and by the way, Tony is in fact his real first name).  He moved to the US thirty years ago, got married, and went to college at St. Cloud State University.  Now he owns his own taxi service.

So what’s the interesting story?

Well for one, the only thing I previously knew about Nigeria relates to those lovely emails I get asking me to help them move money out of the country.  So talking to a native Nigerian was refreshingly educational.  But, more importantly, about halfway into our trip, I asked Tony if he considers himself more Nigerian or American.

I know that’s an unfair question, but I’ve been thinking recently about identity.  What does it mean?  Is there a difference in what we present in our real lives versus our digital ones?  Can we keep them separate or does one bleed into the other?  Is the digital world capable of supporting anonymity anymore?

Tony struggled with an answer.  He explained that while he loves his native country, America represents the fulfillment of what the world can be.  He launched into a condemning discussion of Nigerian politics (civil war, assassinations, tyranny) then settled on the response that ultimately he can’t choose.  He is both Nigerian and American.

I think digital identity works the same way.  It’s very possible to have two or more digital identities in additional to your real life identity.

Some folks disagree.
(more…)

By Cynthia Hetherington, Hetherington Group

29 Apr 2011Investigative Insights

Cynthia Hetherington has more than 15 years of experience in research, investigations and corporate intelligence. She is a consultant for Thomson Reuters and the founder of Hetherington Group, a consulting, publishing and training firm focusing on intelligence, security and investigations.  Visit Cynthia on Twitter.
_________________________

Foraging through Facebook

According to Experian’s Hitwise, Facebook has unseated Google.com as #1 Web site visited on the Internet.  And as the market share leader of social networks, searching Facebook for leads is now mandatory for all investigators.

With its captivating ability to allow a user to upload photos and videos, express thoughts and opinions, reference other Web sites, and keep in touch with friends, both old and new, Facebook has kept itself at the top of the game. It also doesn’t hurt that Facebook’s layout and design are user-friendly, simple, and easy on the eyes. This allows Facebook to draw attention from Web dwellers of all ages, booting its numbers high above the other social networks.

This is where the Facebook addiction—or “Facecrack,” as we like to call it—phenomenon begins. When becoming a user for the first time, you create an account, offering up information such as books you’re interested in, movies you prefer, whether you are married, single, in a relationship, or in a relationship and “it’s complicated.” Next, you’re adding in your high school, college, perhaps company name, adding years of graduation where appropriate.

Next thing you know Facebook has aggregated all the other graduates from your high school and offered them up as people you should “friend” (which is now a verb, along with unfriending, in Webster’s Dictionary).  Given the natural curiosity of most folks, they start to friend these individuals, if only to see how they’ve aged, and this is where the little addiction gets severe. First you’re checking out how much they have aged, then you find yourself looking through all their photos, checking to see if they had kids, if they’re married, and trying to learn where they work and what they do with their lives.  Like an old high school reunion, everyone is excited the first few days and the fervor of friending, chatting, swapping apps, and playing voyeur into other peoples profiles is high.  Next you are updating everyone on what you’re doing every day, whether it’s baking cookies, being bored at work, looking forward to the weekend, etc. This first week is often a blur, and when it’s over, you stop and think, “What happened?” and you have two choices at this point. You either fall victim to the Facecrack, into the Zynga world of managing a pretend farm or Mafia—committing you as a Facecrack addict with no hope in site—or you pause and realize this is something you’ll probably pop in and out of on a daily basis, but certainly slow down in using, deciding it’s not important to tell a group of “friends,” who you haven’t seen or heard from in over 20 years, that you just clipped your toenails.
(more…)

The Risk, Fraud, and Investigation (RF&I) group of Thomson Reuters is very excited to welcome you to our new community blog – Investigative Insights – a forum for thought-provoking investigative content, upcoming events, and engaging dialogue with our readers.

What You’ll Find Here on Investigative Insights
We are dedicated to providing you with relevant and interesting topics of conversation, including:

• Articles written by guest bloggers who are subject-matter experts to become seen as “thought leaders” in our markets
• Exchange of insights and experiences through your participation
• Valuable links to other blog posts, web sites, LinkedIn pages, and Twitter feeds to encourage the sharing of ideas and information
• Videos and news about what’s happening in the world of investigations
• Upcoming RF&I events such as conferences and webinars to keep you informed

What Do You Think?
We want to hear from you.  Your comments, ideas, and suggestions will help shape this forum into a place where everyone can learn, share, and grow.  Leave a comment below or email us at west.investigativeinsights@thomsonreuters.com.

A Bit About Us
The RF&I group was formed in 2010 and offers powerful public and proprietary records with tools for fast, immediately usable results.  Our customers are professionals across government, corporate, and law firm markets seeking information about individuals and businesses.  For more about our products and services, click here.

Welcome to Investigative Insights and stay tuned for content updates!

Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.