09-09-2005, 07:00 PM
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Editor Emeritus
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Police ask for Anonymous SMS Tip to Help Break Case
"Police yesterday appealed to young people who use a Glasgow park where the remains of a baby boy were found to use text messages to get in touch. Detectives hope it will encourage more people to come forward with information after the baby's body was discovered in a duck pond. A spokesman said last night: "Text messaging is proving to be very popular with young people, and we hope this will encourage them to come forward, particularly if they want to remain anonymous."
When did sending a SMS become anonymous? It's got your number stuck on to it. There is nothing anonymous about it. Unless, I'm missing something - Am I? If you really want to be anonymous, try calling the police from a pay-phone and forget the whole SMS thing. :wink:
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09-09-2005, 08:32 PM
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Executive Editor, Android Thoughts
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3,233
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Pay Phone... now what was that? Oh yea, I remember those things... they used to be everywhere. Wonder what ever happened to them... 
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09-10-2005, 12:56 AM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 1
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Sorry Mr Mike Temporale, but I have to say that your incredibly insensative. I take it you will not be helping out the police if you are ever called upon because you wish to remain "anonymous" 8O.
I understand that this is a gadjet sight, but are you honestly saying the only thing of importance was the ability or lack of it to remain "anonymous" after the discovering the remains of a baby boy and asking for help, and all you can focus in on is whether your "anonymous" or not?
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09-10-2005, 02:08 AM
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Editor Emeritus
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Blaze123
Sorry Mr Mike Temporale, but I have to say that your incredibly insensative. I take it you will not be helping out the police if you are ever called upon because you wish to remain "anonymous" 8O.
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Actually you're wrong. I have and always will help out the police regardless of it being anonymous or not. I have nothing to hide, and I am not concerned if people know that I "told" on them.
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Originally Posted by Blaze123
I understand that this is a gadjet sight, but are you honestly saying the only thing of importance was the ability or lack of it to remain "anonymous" after the discovering the remains of a baby boy and asking for help, and all you can focus in on is whether your "anonymous" or not?
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If you read the original article the police are asking for anonymous tips using SMS. As this is a technology focused site, the purpose of this post was to examine the anonymous nature of SMS. Of which there is none. I am not saying that this is the only thing of importance in the article. However, it is the only thing I choose to comment on. I can't possibly comment on every aspect of every article that we post. That's just not realistic.
The fact that police found the remains of a baby boy is tragic. That goes without saying. Nobody here is going to debate that. I have young kids myself, and I hate to see any children suffer in any way. But to label me as incredibly insensitive because I didn't choose to talk about that aspect on a technology focused site is just plain silly.
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"I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein |
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09-10-2005, 04:25 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 49
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As a Sheriff's Deputy in a full-service Sheriff's Office, my take on "anonymous" (at least in this case) is not so much that I don't know something about you, it's more an issue of you telling me you want to remain anonymous. In other words, because you send me (or the department) a text/sms message, I know you're interested in remaining anonymous, so any personal information (such as a phone number) won't be shared with the press or the public.
We get anonymous callers to our 911 center all the time, and whether they know it or not, all of their information shows up, such as name, telephone number, address, etc. However, when they tell the dispatcher they want to remain anonymous, we list them as "anonymous caller" and don't mention their personal information in reports.
Hope that makes sense.
On a side note, it bothers me that people won't share information unless they remain anonymous, but at least they share. They have their reasons for remaining anonymous, of course.
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09-10-2005, 04:45 AM
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Editor Emeritus
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by ifonline
As a Sheriff's Deputy in a full-service Sheriff's Office, my take on "anonymous" (at least in this case) is not so much that I don't know something about you, it's more an issue of you telling me you want to remain anonymous. In other words, because you send me (or the department) a text/sms message, I know you're interested in remaining anonymous, so any personal information (such as a phone number) won't be shared with the press or the public.
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Interesting. So it is just a matter of someone asking to be anonymous. The fact that they may not actually be anonymous doesn't really matter. Is this the case regardless? Lets say you're dealing with a missing persons case, and you get a "anonymous" tip that is cut short. You have the persons number, do you call them back?
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Originally Posted by ifonline
On a side note, it bothers me that people won't share information unless they remain anonymous, but at least they share. They have their reasons for remaining anonymous, of course.
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I imagine that for the most part, this is related to people being scared about some sort or retaliation against them or their family for talking to the police. Which I can understand. Otherwise, I don't really see why people would need to be concerned about being anonymous or not.
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"I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein |
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09-10-2005, 04:51 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 49
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Interesting. So it is just a matter of someone asking to be anonymous. The fact that they may not actually be anonymous doesn't really matter. Is this the case regardless? Lets say you're dealing with a missing persons case, and you get a "anonymous" tip that is cut short. You have the persons number, do you call them back?
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Sure, if need be. It has happened before that I was dispatchd to a residence for, let's say, suspicious activity, and was told that the caller wanted to remain anonymous. However, I couldn't locate anything suspicous, so I needed to speak with the caller. I got their address and name and knocked on their door. I spoke with the caller, and she reminded me that she wanted to remain anonymous. No problem. I didn't put her information in the report.
And of course, if their tip leads right back to them as a suspect, all bets on being anonymous are off.
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I imagine that for the most part, this is related to people being scared about some sort or retaliation against them or their family for talking to the police. Which I can understand. Otherwise, I don't really see why people would need to be concerned about being anonymous or not.
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Probably. I suppose there are times that I could understand the concern over retaliation, but what they don't understand is if their tip leads to an arrest, especially in a high-profile case, they will be testifying in court whether they want to or not. Poof... their goes their anonymous tip.
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09-10-2005, 05:05 AM
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Editor Emeritus
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by ifonline
And of course, if their tip leads right back to them as a suspect, all bets on being anonymous are off.
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:lol: I would hope so! It's crazy, but I guess it happens more than most people would imagine.
Thanks for taking the time to give us some background information on how anonymous actually works. Now it makes sense why the police are asking for an anonymous tip via a traceable method. 8)
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"I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious" - Albert Einstein |
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09-10-2005, 05:08 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 49
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No problem... just remember that each jurisdiction/state/country is different, so what I say may not (and probably does not) apply to everyone.
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09-10-2005, 08:34 PM
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Editor Emeritus
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Posts: 5,074
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by ifonline
As a Sheriff's Deputy in a full-service Sheriff's Office, my take on "anonymous" (at least in this case) is not so much that I don't know something about you, it's more an issue of you telling me you want to remain anonymous. In other words, because you send me (or the department) a text/sms message, I know you're interested in remaining anonymous, so any personal information (such as a phone number) won't be shared with the press or the public.
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Thanks for explaining the "anonymous" part. Being a techie, I had the same doubt as Mike. 
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