Aussie youths using Facebook's Go Live to stream criminal behaviour
Young Australian criminals and vandals are using Facebook's Go Live feature to stream illegal acts and crowd-source criminal behaviour.
Footage of one group shows how they invited feedback and comment in real time from anyone who might have been watching.
It begins with their journey on a train to Central Station in Sydney, as they plan a mini-crime spree for their virtual audience and aim to “get the viewers up to 100”.
The teenagers then record their illegal plan in action, as they jump the ticket barrier without paying and enter a 7-Eleven.
They proceed to throw items on the floor and at the attendant, before stealing them.
"I'm going to throw this can of V at a car and we're gonna run, yeah. Comment 'yes' if I should do it," one of the youths says to his audience.
The group continues its rampage by pushing a man at a bus stop and hurling racist insults.
"You're lucky, Asian b***h," one of the young men shouts.
Another sits on the bonnet of a moving car, before the gang returns to a convenience store to steal e-cigarettes.
Real-time crime is a new trend that started earlier this month when Facebook launched its live streaming feature.
Users are encouraged to actively seek reaction and participation from viewers.
"People love going live because it's so unfiltered and personal and you feel like you're just there hanging out with your friends," Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg recently said.
The program has also been used to live-stream hooning in Melbourne, as the desire for online notoriety outweighs any fear of being identified.
But thanks to their videos, the offenders should not be hard to find.
The gang of youths in Sydney signed-off their video saying, "See ya everybody, we've gotta go in case the coppers get us".
Thanks to their live filming, police have plenty of evidence to work with.
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