As Tom Durning asks, “Whooda thunk?”

From ICMA’s PM Magazine:

Flash Mobs: The Newest Threat to Local Governments

Flash mobs are organized through such viral means as e-mail, text message, Facebook, and word of mouth. Although most flash mobs are harmless, some have become a means for large groups of individuals to conduct crimes ranging from burglaries to assaults.  ..

Recent events have clearly shown that flash mobs have evolved into flash robs and other forms of group violence that must be of concern for local governments. These leaderless, spontaneous organizations that are able to multiply in numbers exponentially using social media are difficult to predict, interdict, and control.

While some community-policing strategies may be effective, local governments will be challenged as they look for long-term solutions to this new form of crime without infringing on civil rights and privacy.

Interesting chronology on the changing nature of this social-media phenomenon – with a curious omission. Vancouver’s Stanley Cup riot, though not a flash mob, offers insight on the use of social media by police to change the post-mob dynamic.

UPDATE: And speaking of social media – in this case, Facebook – how much is known by it about any of us who use it?  Max Schrems found out:

A couple of months ago the Austrian law student Max Schrems asked Facebook to send him all their data stored about him. All Europeans have a right to do this. Because facebook is based in Dublin, Ireland. It took a while and then facebook sent Max a CD with 1222 PDF files.

A Berlin newspaper did a visual version: