The following is a guest blog from www.accidents.com.
In today's society, everyone says and does the same things they always have - but now they post it on blogs, social media sites, video sharing site,s and personal websites. Facebook has been used in many court cases - lawyers want to retrieve all types of personal information from a user's profile, photographs, and status updates. Facebook's Terms of Service explicitly state, "the website is available for your personal, noncommercial use only." However, this doesn't mean police, potential employers, college administrators, and defending accident lawyers can't use it for research and investigations. In fact, Facebook spokespeople have made this known in public forums and discussion areas - all information on the site should be presumed available to the general public.
Here's the article your accident lawyer hopes you read - it details the steps you can take to protect your social media presence during a trial.
1) Suspend your Facebook and Twitter accounts - Although this is the easiest way to help prevent information for being used against you, some may not feel comfortable getting rid of it completely.
2) Double-check your preferences - Facebook's default privacy settings allow people who live in your area or network to see your information, even if you're not friends. Change this right away.
3) Monitor photos - Keep a close eye on photos that you post or are tagged in. If you feel any of these could incriminate you, untag yourself or ask the person who posted it to delete it right away.
4) Watch what friends post - Monitor what's being posted on your wall to make sure nothing will contradict the claims you're making or could be misinterpreted.
5) Take care when posting status updates - Even something as little as a smiley face can be taken the wrong way and used against you.
6) Monitor comments - Be careful when commenting on friends' statuses or photos - even a comment that sounds angry or irritable toward another person can be used as evidence.
7) Ask the question: "Who am I really sharing this information with? Could it be used as harmful evidence?" If your gut tells you yes, it's probably a good idea to refrain from posting it.
8) Google yourself - After taking all of the above steps, you should also Google yourself to see what's out there. Use a "web" search on your name as well as an "image" search, as the results could be different for each. If you discover anything that may could damage your case, tell your lawyer and then find the site it's posted on and do your best to get it removed.
Being in the middle of a court case can be a stressful time - and we want to make sure you get what's owed to you. Keep this list handy - read an accident injury blog or two, and don't lose what you deserve due to a simple mistake!
If you have been injured or have lost a loved one due to an auto accident, brain injury, burn injury, motorcycle accident, truck accident, boating accident, dog bite attack, premises injury, or work injury, contact A. Jason Kerckhoff toll-free at 866-606-3059 for a free consultation with an experienced San Diego personal injury attorney.
