In today’s society people love sharing personal stuff on social media. So it’s not surprising why law enforcement is turning to it to look for additional evidence. This is good news for the police, but not for you if you have an ongoing criminal case. To prevent hurting your defense, listen to your criminal defense attorney law firm and take note of the following:
Deleting Posts Doesn’t Always Help
You may think removing incriminating posts will get you off the hook. But, it’s a pointless move if someone else has already seen them or taken screenshots of them. Also, the police may see this action as a form of destroying evidence, and from it may infer criminal culpability. Another thing to remember: Social media platforms have to provide requested information about a social media profile to law enforcement in response to a subpoena. Deleted content is often part of such information.
Don’t Post About Your Case
A good Phoenix criminal defense attorney law firm will advise you that anything you post online may be used against you. Prosecutors can present seemingly harmless status updates as support for a narrative they want to pursue. For example, if you have a DUI case, your bar check-ins can be used to support the argument that you were drinking. Of course, you can make your posts viewable to a limited audience, but if deleted posts can be retrieved, then private posts can be unearthed for legal reasons.
Don’t be Complacent
It’s not enough that you refrain from posting. You also have to look out for other people’s posts in which they tagged or mentioned you. To be on the safe side, disallow tags and mentions or filter them before they show up for others to see on your profile. Going back to the DUI example, you’ll still be in trouble if your friends keep tagging you in pictures of drunken shenanigans and mentioning you in compromising comments.
Do Work with Your Criminal Defense Attorney Law Firm
Ideally, you should stay away from social media when you have an ongoing case, but lapses happen. So instead of trying to ignore the potential problem a post can cause, it’s best to let your criminal lawyer know about it immediately. After all, they aren’t there to just defend you; they also help you mitigate all possible risks to your defense. This means you can ask them for advice on how to manage your social media accounts, considering that all posts – past, present, and future – can have a detrimental effect on your case.
Charged with a crime in Phoenix or anywhere else in Arizona? Then you need the help of a reputable criminal defense law firm such as Lerner & Rowe Law Group. We’ll be glad to help you, so call 602-667-7777 or chat with us live. Our office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. But we’re available 24/7 to give you a free consultation plus information on our affordable payment plans.