Did you know Digital Forensics Investigators use Social Media Networks to gather Evidence?

When it comes to social media networks, there is a lot under the surface that you may not see… It’s not just “likes”, “shares” and “stories”, there is vital evidence and records that are imbedded into all social media sites, particularly, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

In most investigations, digital forensics experts are scouring social media platforms because:

> A background check needs to be conducted
> Someone is making an accusation against a witness
> A corporate position on an issue, fact or circumstance needs to be determined
> Proof regarding someone being cyber bullied or threatened
> Establishing association between two people
> Evidencing intent, weakness or motive
> Investigating someone’s physical location in regards to their alibi

Over the years people have argued that using social media networks to acquire evidence against them violates their privacy rights, whether the site itself infringes the privacy of its users or even whether illegal activity occurs with actual knowledge of it happening.

When it comes to this it is vital that the digital evidence is preserved and gathered in the proper way. To properly collect and authenticate social networking content, the correct tools and programs need to be used at all times.

Significant digital forensics skills are needed to analyze the preserved data to answer questions like:

- Who is posting the content?
- Is the content offensive and can it be used in convincing evidence to a real, live person?
- When was this content posted to social media?
- How much of it exists across the entire social networking platform?
- What other related evidence is there?
- How accurate is the reported physical location?

Everyone uses social media; it is a vital part of our lives no matter how much you deny it. So, because people choose to broadcast their personal lives to the public, digital forensic investigators can use it to get current and accurate evidence.

At TCG Digital Forensics, we can provide you with a wide variety of services, from OSINT services, social media investigations and data recovery to digital suspect profiling and CCTV image verification.