Mafia Gets Into Social Networking
Friday, January 23rd, 2009
Scott Cohn at the Tower of Pisa
The Italian mafia is getting glorified on Facebook and this worries the Italian authorities. Over the last few months thousands of people have joined Facebook pro-Mafia groups that glorify mob bosses Salvatore “Toto” Riina and his successor Bernardo Provenzano. One side says having these groups damages Facebook, another says this is open discussion and free speech. Facebook has taken down a few of the Mafia-praising content because it violated their terms of use but many groups are still flourishing.
Ultimately what the authorities are worried about is that these groups are more than just a few kids with a fascination with the mob but rather a new mechanism for gangsters to pass information. In the end, nothing criminal has been reported so there’s not much they can do but watch and see.
