When you are waiting for a court date on criminal charges, you need to be mindful of your social media activity. Prosecutors use social media posts and account activity as evidence in criminal cases.
Protect yourself and avoid potential courtroom pitfalls with some careful considerations before you post online.
Avoid any discussion of the charges
If you post about the charges that you are facing, conversations with your attorney or information about what happened, the prosecutors may use that information in court. Keep your social media profiles free of any discussion about the incident.
Review your account privacy
You can minimize the risk of posts falling in the wrong hands if you review your account privacy settings. Remember that public posts, post tags, pictures from friends and even your friends’ list are all accessible without sufficient privacy settings. Tighten your privacy settings so that only friends can see your posts and require approval for any post tags.
Vet friend requests
Carefully vet any new friend requests while you are awaiting trial. Make sure you only add friends that you trust and know personally. This prevents the prosecution from accessing your private posts through friend connections, keeping your information more secure.
The only way to avoid social media trouble completely while you wait for your trial is to avoid social media posts. If you do post on your accounts, be mindful of the information you do share. Remember that friends can screenshot posts, creating a permanent record of your statements. Be cautious and attentive to your words.
