Social media may provide a huge hand in solving the Boston Marathon bombing investigation.
Officials are asking spectators to provide images and/or video they have that may help investigators with leads for finding out who was responsible for setting off the bombs that killed three and injured more than 150 Monday afternoon in Boston.
Boston Police looking for video of the finish line #tweetfromthebeat via @CherylFiandaca
— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) April 15, 2013
Wired pointed out that while the photos and videos will be crowdsourced, the investigation itself will not be.
Of course, there’s also the downsides of social media in a situation like this. For example, something like Twitter can be an incredible tool in times of crisis when the need for information is immediate. But, as The Guardian writes, it can become a crackpot of false and untrustworthy information.
Boston police is encouraging to email photos and videos to Boston@ic.fbi.gov.