Thursday 21 February 2013

Facebook Divorce: Evidence from Wall posts



Facebook may not be good for your marriage, but it might be good for your divorce.
For users of Facebook, divorce is all the rage. Between news feed updates that notify friends when you go from married to single, and groups proclaiming that the social network ruined its members' marriages, Facebookers can't escape it. And some of them may not want to.
On Facebook, divorce evidence is robust. With reportedly 20% of all divorces being tied to Facebook, wall posts, photographs and messages can help turn a divorce case (and related custody cases) in your favor. "Fidelity detectives" are seeing a rise in fidelity cases where spouses are seeking evidence from social media--evidence that divorce lawyers are using.
For those who use Facebook, divorce evidence adds up. Wall posts are like a personal timeline--of your whereabouts and who you're with. Soon to be ex-spouses can use your status updates to contradict something you've said in court. And photographs of illegal activity or irresponsible behavior can be admitted into evidence and ruin your chance at seeing your child.

Most eerily of all? According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Facebook has been used, with the explicit approval of a court, to locate a spouse who simply didn't want to be found.
So if you're in the middle of a divorce, think before you post. And as hard as it may be, try not to say anything too negative about your soon to be ex-partner--it may come back to bite you in the butt.
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