Written by Joseph Russo in August, 2009

It’s an everyday event now – solicitors trawling through the Facebook profiles of their clients or opposing parties trying to find damaging information that can help them win their cases.

Posting information on the internet, while it may seem like fun, is risky business. Those most vulnerable are individuals going through a divorce. Jilted partners are, more likely than not, determined to dig up dirt for some perceived advantage in the eventual divorce case.

Recently, Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites have been used to source evidence that has been used in the following types of cases:-

• Personal Injury

• Family Law

• Destruction of Public Property.

Social networking sites have been used to do unofficial reference checking of potential employees. This is where employers search for the applicant’s profile, and then examine the contents of their homepage to analyse both their credibility and hire ability.

Let’s also not discount the recent news stories where employees have called in sick, only to later post pictures or profile descriptions detailing their exploits, which have ultimately resulted in their own demise.

Social networking sites have also become information hotspots for law enforcement agencies around the world, who trawl the pages of Facebook and MySpace looking for fugitives or people who may be looking to exploit children.

So before you post anything on the internet, make sure it’s not something that you believe can be used against you at a later date.