Social media has quickly grown from something only a few college kids did to something that impacts every area of our lives – from our jobs to our ability to obtain a loan and, yes, even our divorces.
One of the most common pieces of advice regarding social media is to refrain from posting anything you wouldn’t want a potential employer seeing. Well, divorce attorneys are also advising their clients not to post anything they wouldn’t want a judge to see. Just like conducting an online search is one of the first things prospective employers do, it’s also one of the first things your spouse’s divorce attorney will do when collecting evidence against you. Here are some things to keep in mind:
1) Don’t assume your spouse can’t see what you post just because you’ve blocked them.
If your friends post about your job or your vacation, your spouse may be able to access that post and use it against you in divorce court.
Despite the fact that you may use privacy settings to make sure your spouse can’t see your posts, keep in mind your friends who may be posting compromising pictures of you. Even if your spouse can’t see your posts, they may be able to see what your friends are posting and that information can still be used in court against you. Not only should that caution you against posting indelicate information, but it should also warn you to keep track of what your friends are posting about you.
2) Think before you post.
You’ve probably heard that, once something is published on the Internet, it never really disappears. Keep that in mind before you post anything because, even if you delete compromising posts, forensic experts may still be able to access them.
3) Ask your friends for help.
If you see an unflattering or compromising post one of your friends put up that includes you, you can ask them to remove your tag from the post or remove the post altogether. But remember that nothing is ever truly deleted from the Internet. While your friend may comply with your request, the damage may have already been done.
4) Remember: nothing is private online.
Also keep in mind that the social media sites we use every day are owned by businesses with their own agenda. Most of them have Terms of Service that allow them to do pretty much whatever they want with the information you post. Even if your friends are on your side, Facebook probably is not and they can decide to sell your information to the highest bidder.
5) Take a break from social media.
The best way to keep a clean profile is to simply stay off social media until your divorce is finalized. Don’t post anything, no matter how innocent it may first appear.
6) Don’t delete any of your accounts.
At the same time, don’t delete any social media accounts you already have. It may be tempting, but it can also be considered destruction of evidence. This has the potential to get you in even more trouble than the social media account itself could.
The attorneys at?Sherer Law Offices?have been providing legal representation for divorce cases for more than 20 years. Our?experienced divorce attorneys?will take the time to really listen to your unique situation so that they can plan strategies that can best protect your best interests.?
