Getting Divorced? 2 Things You Need To Stop Doing On Social Media Immediately
When your spouse starts talking about divorce, you might be more concerned about your kids or your physical assets than you are about your social media account. Unfortunately, social media is gaining popularity in the courtroom. In fact, according to one study, 81% of Matrimonial Lawyers have used or faced evidence from social media in court. Here are two things you need to stop doing on social media immediately, and how your actions could affect your divorce proceedings:
1: Tagging Yourself and Others at Events
People love to share photos, messages, and videos online, which is why tagging is so popular. Instead of taking the time to text or email a picture to a friend, all you have to do is tag their name, and that fun picture from last night will show up on their social media page. Unfortunately, this feature can become downright dangerous in court—even if you have your privacy settings turned all the way up.
The information you post on social media is considered publicly disseminated for legal purposes, even if your posts aren't visible to everyone online. In fact, some judges have even subpoenaed social media passwords during court cases to give lawyers free reign of publicly issued information. Because your account is essentially out there for the world to see, tagging yourself or others at events could have these negative consequences in court:
- Timeline: Tagging can be used to show where you were at any given time. For example, if you were tagged at a party when you said you would pick up your kids, it might be used to show your negligence. Unfortunately, since other people can tag you too, you never know who else is recording your day-to-day activities.
- Company: Since tags can show who was at an event, they can also prove who you were with. For example, even if you decide not to post anything about your outing, other people might tag themselves at an event, which would show up online. This might make it hard to prove that you weren't hanging out with that girl your wife spotted you with, which could complicate your court case.
- Habits: How many times did you skip work last week? Tagging can also be used to show your personal habits. This information might be used to prove your mindset, which could damage your arguments in court. For example, if you regularly tag yourself on the golf course when you should be at work, your future ex might claim that you don't care about your adult responsibilities.
During your divorce, don't tag yourself or others on social media. If you have the opportunity, ask your friends and family members to do the same. It might seem like a hassle at the time, but it could save you from explaining yourself later.
2: Sharing Photos and Videos
Images have a funny way of speaking for themselves in the courtroom. That silly picture or video might seem perfectly innocent, but you never know how another person will interpret the situation. Your actions could be taken out of context, making that awkward photo with a friend at work might look like a clandestine love affair. To make matters worse, you never know who is hanging out in the background of those forgotten images. The backdrop of your photos might be used to prove who you were with or what you were doing at any given time.
If you don't want to find yourself stammering over the details of your work Christmas party in court, don't upload photos or videos online during your court case. Because it can be easy to forget what you have posted previously, take the time to review your social media entries with your attorney. Many social media websites give users the option of downloading their history, giving you easy access to the entirety of your posts, photos and messages.
By being smart about your social media use during your divorce, you might be able to simplify your court case and help your lawyer to prepare. For more advice about your divorce, ask lawyers from sites like http://www.madisonlf.com.
Share