- PARIS: Internet-savvy police in Paris have started using social networks such as Facebook to appeal for witnesses to traffic accidents in a move some residents say smacks of Big Brother-style spying tactics.
Since Jan. 1, Internet users connecting to the Paris police force's Twitter or Facebook page have been invited to provide information to help solve hit-and-run cases that have occurred in the notoriously crash-prone city and its suburbs.
A link directs users to the city police's main website, where they can find details of incidents, including dates, times and circumstances and a map of the location. "These appeals for witnesses are an important element in solving crimes.
Someone could easily have seen something and only remember it later," Xavier Castaing, head of communications for the Paris police, told Reuters.