I’m sure that if you ask, most everyone would admit to having a variety of social media accounts. These accounts equate to a lot of content and that content can be discover-able in your litigation. The question isn’t whether you want this information, it’s how are you going to get your hands on it.
The best way to defend against information is to prevent someone from using it in the first place. Electronic evidence is especially susceptible to objections of admissibility due to the ease of creating false documents. Self-collecting, which may simply be printing the pages from a site, can leave you open to challenges to the information’s origin. If such a challenge is made, the person that collected the information may be required to testify, or submit an affidavit as to their collection methods. Even if everything went as planned, a challenge could still be made. Self-collection could jeopardize the use of the evidence. I am here to tell you there is a better way.
Avalon’s collection of social media can give you many things lacking in a self- collection. By documenting a digital fingerprint of the files collected, our collections result in an unbroken chain of custody. This documentation can prove where, when, and how the files were collected. The files can also be parsed out and reviewed in their native format, or any review platform you choose. Another benefit is the collection can be re-run as many times as you’d like and only the differing results need be collected. Pouring over the same information wastes time and more importantly money.
So, if you require the content from these social media sites, and need to prove exactly where, when, and how you got it, give us a call. We can help you get the information where it belongs… in front of the Judge.
If you liked this blog you might also be interested in reading: Remote Data Collection to the Rescue!
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