• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, March 16, 2010

Federal agents who go undercover on Facebook or MySpace gain certain tactical advantages: they can "communicate with suspects/ targets," "gain access to non-public info," and "map social relationships/networks." That's according to a U.S. Department of Justice presentation about social networking sites made available on Tuesday.

The DOJ also advises employees to investigate all witnesses on social networking sites, noting that peoples' profile pages are a "valuable source of information." The authorities add that evidence gathered from social networking pages can be used for a variety of investigative purposes, including establishing motives and checking alibis.

The presentation was posted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which had requested information from a host of government agencies about their use of social networking sites.

The DOJ indicated in the presentation that lying about identity on a social networking site could be problematic, noting that Missouri resident Lori Drew was prosecuted for computer fraud in the MySpace suicide case. Drew allegedly helped to hatch a plan to create a fake profile of a boy, "Josh," who sent messages to 13-year-old Megan Meier. Megan hanged herself after receiving a message from that account stating that the world would be a better place without her. Drew herself didn't send the messages or create the account.

Drew was acquitted by U.S. District Court Judge George Wu, who overturned a jury verdict convicting her of three misdemeanor counts. Wu ruled that violating a site's terms of service by lying could not form the basis of a computer fraud conviction.

A separate document released by the Internal Revenue Service advises employees to avoid lying on social networking sites.