Social Media Investigations - Private Investigators

What are Social Media Investigations?

A social media investigation is an in-depth inquiry made by investigators, whose expertise identifies social media platforms and searches the internet for information on the subject in question. When you think of social media, you often think of Facebook or Twitter. But most do not realize there are over 200 popular social media sites used by people every day all over the world. There are millions of apps, web pages, blogs, social networks, and other platforms for information and communication that span the entire globe.

Obtaining information through these investigations on a specific individual can be challenging at times. The subject in question may very well not be affiliated with any accounts/profiles, including Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms utilized by people. Our diverse group of investigators are experts in these circumstances and have several different approaches when facing this problem. In general, when conducting a social media investigation, everyone affiliated with the subject in question will also be canvassed in terms of their social media accounts.

Social media investigations involve using various social media platforms and websites to gather information about an individual or organization. This can include, but is not limited to:

• Profile information: Gathering information about an individual or organization’s profile, such as name, address, phone number, email, and other contact information.
• Post history: Reviewing an individual or organization’s posts, comments, and interactions on social media.
• Images: Searching for and analyzing images that an individual or organization has posted or been tagged in.
• Friends and followers: Analyzing an individual or organization’s friends and followers on social media.
• Geolocation data: Using location data embedded in photos and posts to determine an individual’s whereabouts.
• Sentiment analysis: Analyzing an individual or organization’s social media posts and interactions to determine their attitudes and opinions.

Our experienced social media investigators have intimate knowledge of the technology and how it can be obtained. Our investigators have been trained to capture the social media and internet information ethically and legally.

Why hire a social media investigator?

A trained social media investigator is trained and experienced with obtaining information and data that the average person cannot. We rely on proven techniques to locate hidden accounts or have privacy settings that prevent them from showing up in a public search.

When a person does a searches for an individual’s profile, often there are several accounts associated with a particular name, not including the ones that don’t show up in public search at all. Because of this, we use a variety of reverse search and investigative methods to locate the account more quickly and accurately. In most instances, we are even able to pull pertinent photos, posts, and data when an account is entirely private and can’t be accessed or doesn’t even exist.

How can a social media investigator assist in court related cases?

Social media posts are now being used as supplemental evidence in court to establish foundation and character, support alibis, and provide valuable information relevant to court cases. The benefits are unlimited, ranging from direct and corroborative evidence to risk assessment and ongoing proof of activities. A custody case in which a mother’s alleged drug use is a concern can be supported with photographs and status updates posted to the mother’s social media, or discussing using drugs. Geo-tagged posts can prove that a potential key witness was in the physical location of a crime as it was being committed. Whether a criminal or civil case, social media is now a growing catalyst for providing evidence to the courtroom.

What type of cases can benefit from a social media investigations?

Whether it is an infidelity matter, workers’ compensation case, personal injury, civil lawsuit, or child custody case, our investigators will ethically and legally capture social media and internet information.  There are requirements for what information and data must be collected and presented to the court, some of which can’t be accessed without technical know-how and/or sophisticated software. We provide a detailed report with the captured information, and our cyber investigators are always made available to testify to all data obtained.