Forensic Linguistic Profiling & What Your Language Reveals About You | Harry Bradford | TEDxStoke

Summary

In this talk, the speaker explores the internet's incredible potential for communication and social change, but also highlights its growing threat in the form of cyber crime. They introduce forensic linguistics as a potential solution to combating online threats, including harassment, identity theft, and terrorism. The speaker explains how language, age, gender, and community influence online behavior, and how analyzing these aspects can help identify anonymous perpetrators. The talk emphasizes that forensic linguistics is a useful tool in addressing online crime, but not a complete solution on its own.

Takeaways

• 😀 The internet offers many benefits, such as global communication, entertainment, and learning new skills, but it also has its drawbacks.
• 😀 The internet empowers individuals to challenge powerful figures, like how Twitter users confronted a columnist's homophobic views and how Egyptians used social media during their revolution.
• 😀 The digital age presents a new opportunity for individuals to become pioneers, sharing ideas and challenging institutions online.
• 😀 Cybercrime is a growing issue, with nearly six million cases in England and Wales alone, including identity theft, fraud, and terrorism.
• 😀 One in ten people will be affected by cybercrime in their lives, and online theft is twenty times more likely than street mugging.
• 😀 The anonymity of the internet allows cybercriminals to hide behind fake accounts and evade responsibility for their actions.
• 😀 Forensic linguistics, a tool derived from sociolinguistics, can help track cybercriminals by analyzing language patterns unique to individuals or social groups.
• 😀 Sociolinguistic variation means that language reflects personal attributes like age, gender, and upbringing, allowing linguists to profile users by their online language.
• 😀 By analyzing digital communities of practice, forensic linguists can determine social dynamics, such as group leaders and new members, which helps identify online offenders.
• 😀 Forensic linguistics can assist with online harassment cases, profiling anonymous perpetrators by analyzing their language for clues about their identity, including age, gender, and location.
• 😀 While forensic linguistics isn't a silver bullet, it can be a valuable tool in identifying and prosecuting cybercriminals when used alongside other techniques.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speaker's presentation?

The main theme of the presentation is the potential of forensic linguistics to address cybercrime, online harassment, and other online threats by analyzing language and identifying the perpetrators behind anonymous online activities.

How does the internet's anonymity contribute to the growth of cybercrime?

The anonymity provided by the internet allows individuals to commit cybercrimes without immediate consequences. Fake accounts and email addresses can conceal one's true identity, making it harder to track and hold individuals accountable for their actions.

What role does forensic linguistics play in combating cybercrime?

Forensic linguistics analyzes language patterns and behaviors to identify key traits of anonymous online individuals, such as age, gender, education, and country of origin. This can help track down perpetrators of online crimes like harassment and fraud.

What is sociolinguistics, and how does it relate to forensic linguistics?

Sociolinguistics is the study of how social factors such as age, gender, and background influence language use. Forensic linguistics applies this concept by analyzing how these factors can be detected in someone's language to uncover more about their identity and social background.

What is the significance of the term 'En Fleek' in the context of forensic linguistics?

The term 'En Fleek' is a slang phrase commonly used by younger people. By identifying this phrase in online language, forensic linguistics can suggest that the person using it is likely under the age of 30, providing insights into the speaker's demographic.

How does analyzing a 'community of practice' help in understanding online language?

A 'community of practice' refers to a group of people who share common linguistic practices or in-jokes. By analyzing the language used within such communities, forensic linguistics can reveal information about group dynamics, such as who the leader is or who the newest member is, helping to identify anonymous individuals in online spaces.

What are some examples of cybercrime mentioned in the presentation?

Examples of cybercrime mentioned include identity theft, fraud, online harassment, child exploitation, trafficking, and terrorism. The speaker emphasizes how these crimes are facilitated by the anonymity of the internet.

What is the significance of analyzing language in the fight against online harassment?

By analyzing the language used by online harassers, forensic linguists can determine characteristics such as their age, gender, location, and education level. This can help law enforcement identify individuals behind harassment and take appropriate legal action.

Why is online harassment particularly damaging compared to traditional bullying?

Online harassment is pervasive because it can occur at any time, anywhere, through devices like smartphones and laptops. Victims do not have the opportunity to escape from the harassment, unlike traditional bullying, which stops once the victim leaves school or a specific location.

What is the potential for forensic linguistics to address serious criminal activities like terrorism or trafficking?

Forensic linguistics can analyze online communications in chatrooms where illegal activities like trafficking, radicalization, or terrorism are discussed. By profiling language, authorities can uncover information that helps identify perpetrators and prevent further criminal activities.