Social Media Meets Court
It should go without saying that one should be careful what you post on social media. For example, if you are in the middle of a divorce it is not a good idea to post pictures of your new boyfriend/girlfriend. Or if you are a young person facing an underage drinking charge it is a bad idea to share with the world on Facebook how drunk you got last Friday.
Anything that you post, tweet or otherwise make public on social media can and likely will be used against you in court. It is fairly typical for divorce attorneys to look at the opposing sides Facebook page. Anything you make public is fair game for an opposing attorney in a divorce or custody dispute.
The same is true in criminal cases. I have seen people on probation violated because of what they posted on social media. For example, if you are on felony probation you are prohibited from abusing alcohol and drugs so don’t post pictures of you and your buddies at a bar. Furthermore, if the public can see it then so can the prosecutor handling your case. Do not post anything you don’t want the prosecutor, police, and your probation officer to see.
The above seems like common sense that everyone would know already. However, in every court across the United States people routinely get in trouble due to social media posting. Don’t be one of those people.