The Legal Dangers of Facebook

by | Dec 21, 2015 | Firm News, Florida Family Law

The courts of Florida have been familiarizing themselves with the Internet since the early 2000’s. Only recently have social media sites taken over as a public forum on the Internet, and the courts of Florida have taken notice. Judges have found that Facebook information can be important to court cases. Any information discovered on your Facebook page can be used against you in a court of law. If you are unsure if your Social Media habits are affecting you, contact an Attorney well versed in social media. If you live in the Broward, Miami-Dade, or Palm Beach county areas, your go to Attorney for all things Tech Legal is Mark E. Sawicki, P.A. People need to be careful with Facebook, updates, and pictures as they can be used in court to hurt you. Mark Sawicki recommends to get off Facebook completely, you never know who is your Facebook “friend” and will send pictures to your spouse, or anything to make you look bad infront of the judge.

Why is Facebook considered legally dangerous?

  • Facebook, like other social media sites, is a public forum. This means that anything you say, share, or post can be used against you in a court of law. Using an anonymous picture, jumbled name, or other attempts at masking your actual identity are futile. Facebook tracks their users through IP and other identifying attributes linked to your account. If a judge moves to discover your Facebook identity and subpoenas Facebook for the information, Facebook will comply. Things you might have said years ago on the social platform can be used against you because the information is kept indefinitely.

What type of information can an Attorney use off of Facebook?

  • Anything you say, post, or share can be used against you in a court of law. Attorneys, Judges, and other judicial entities are scouring Facebook for evidence for and against their clients right now. They can search for login’s, dates and times of posts, pictures, and use this information to triangulate their prosecution attempts. A little investigation into someone’s Facebook account can result in an astonishing amount of legal information.

How do I stop Facebook from being a Danger in my life?

  • Do not sign up for Facebook. If you are concerned about staying in touch with your friends and family, use traditional methods like a telephone or text messages. When you use Facebook, a simple hello to an old friend could be broadcast across the world, alerting legal representation of your association with this individual. This is a simple example, but the reality remains. Prosecutors and Defense Attorneys will use what they find on Facebook against you.

Contact our family law attorney in Ft. Lauderdale Today!

People need to be careful with Facebook. Updates and pictures can be used in court to hurt you. Mark Sawicki recommends to get off Facebook completely because you never know who is on your Facebook. The best option is to not use Facebook in the first place. If you are still concerned about your Social Media Footprint, get in contact with a tech savvy Attorney like Mark E. Sawicki, P.A. to discuss options for limiting your exposure online.