how police can track anonymous accounts [Video]

Police have arrested a teenage student after the student made a social media threat against East Trails Middle School in Lee’s Summit.The threat was made on TikTok.The FBI and Lee’s Summit police tracked the suspect down on Monday.Police and cyber experts say the arrest should serve as a warning to parents and teenagers about how easy it can be to track posts online.“It’s very serious,” said Lee’s Summit police Sgt. Chris Depue. “We can instantly subpoena a social media company, whether it be TikTok, Facebook or Instagram; they’ll provide us an IP address.”Depue and cyber expert Burton Kelso say that IP address can eventually be traced to someone’s home, school or business address.“Once online, always online,” Kelso said. “You may think you have an anonymous account on social media, but in reality, social media knows exactly where you are through the combination of your internet or IP address, or even …