Can my Facebook account be used against me in divorce?

Information pulled off Facebook is a new evidentiary tool used by divorce lawyers to give their clients advantages during divorce proceedings. Information from social media can become pivotal in high asset divorce, child custody and alimony cases these days. As such, individuals may want to protect themselves.

Divorce-related evidence that lawyers may use in divorce proceedings includes information taken off an individual’s Facebook history relating to his or her whereabouts, photos and real-world social activities. Perhaps the worst issue relating to Facebook is the fact that many individuals feel that their social media publications are private, or that flirting online is different from flirting in real life. However, all this can affect one’s divorce.

Here is a list that includes some of the types of evidence that divorce lawyers could use to against someone during divorce proceedings:

— Friend tags showing photos of individuals drinking alcohol, being romantically involved with someone, or having fun on vacations when the individual claims not to have time to spend with children.

— Facebook posts showing expensive purchases when the individual says he or she is unemployed and/or having trouble paying spousal and child support.

— Posts showing one’s whereabouts that conflicts with other information.

— Posts showing love affairs, suggesting infidelity, or posts showing deception.

— Information on Facebook — even if it has previously been deleted — can often be accessed by forensic experts, so it is important that Facebook users take care what they post online.

Nevada residents concerned about their social media accounts and how they could affect their divorce proceedings may want to talk with a family law attorney about their cases. A lawyer will be able to evaluate the situation to determine a suitable legal strategy to employ given the situation.

Source: FindLaw, “Facebook divorce,” accessed Oct. 05, 2016