Important Warning About Social Media Use
How Facebook, Twitter, and Other Social Media Accounts Can Affect Your Claim
Millions of users are registered on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media websites. These websites offer allow users to network and keep in contact, updating friends and families with status updates. However, many users do not realize the dangers of sharing intimate details about their personal lives, and how easily third parties can gain access to private photos, messages, activities, and other personal information. Especially for accident victims pursuing litigation, social media can become a dangerous liability. More and more defense attorneys are investigating social media sites to extract information on the accident claimant that can be used to undermine their case.
Dangers of Social Media
After being involved in an accident, it is not uncommon for victims to update their status with seemingly innocuous posts like “Got in an accident, but I’m okay.” Because insurance companies and opposing attorneys have been known to use information gathered from social media websites against accident victims, updates like this one could actually compromise your case. If you are seeking compensation for injury-related damages, such a post can serve as evidence refuting your claim.
While defense attorneys have always used public information gleaned on the web in civic cases, increasingly, judges are now granting attorneys access to the private zones of Facebook, Twitter, and similar sites. Past photos tagged by friends can now serve as evidence for a propensity for reckless behavior. Cheerful status updates can discredit claims that injuries sustained in the accident reduced the quality of one’s life. Nearly anything can be detrimental to your case.
How to Protect Your Social Media Accounts
There are some steps you can take to prevent your online social media accounts from threatening your rightful compensation. Firstly, set all of your privacy settings to “Friends,” so your updates and photos are not publicly published. Also, do not post any information and delete any old posts regarding your accident or pending suit. Disable the “tagging” feature on all of your settings so your friends cannot publish your activities on their accounts. Make sure any content you do publish is PG, and safe for both your mother and the insurance adjuster to see. While these restrictions can work to protect your case, the best protective measure you can take is to delete all of your social media accounts. This will ensure nothing that can impede your is reported to the defense attorneys.
Growing Threat of Social Media
Defense attorneys are finding exculpatory evidence in social media sites; numerous accident claimants are deprived of their rightful compensation because of the posts on their social media accounts. If you have been involved in an accident caused by another negligent party, do not publish it on the internet. Instead contact a California personal injury lawyer, to protect your rightful compensation. A professional accident attorney can explain your legal rights and discuss you steps you can take to ensure you will receive the full and fair compensation you are entitled to.