Despite Reddit’s well-publicized missteps last week (for which Reddit has issued a formal apology – still none from the New York Post), Tim Murphy argues that Internet sleuths are “actually surprisingly good at fighting crime”:
The best example of what Reddit could be—if it became a bit less like Reddit, that is—is a site called websleuths.com. Founded in 1999, Websleuths has become a haven for amateur investigators who spend their free-time using public records to crack cold cases. It works like most any other online forum. Users create accounts and subscribe to different subject threads—in this case, relating to different cases that come in—depending on their interests.
Susan Bray, an assistant professor of counseling at Wichita State University, started using Websleuths under the pseudonym when she was unemployed and looking for work. She developed a rapport with another user, Cathy Rhodes, a car dealer from Augusta, Ga., and realized they had a knack for connecting unclaimed bodies to their next-of-kin. Her track record has led some police departments to reach out to her directly when they need an extra set of eyes. The Department of Justice has looked to capitalize on the Internet hive mind by setting up a site, claimus.org, for people to identify unclaimed bodies.
The Dish 