Facebook and Divorce - Status Update: I was sooooo drunk at the concert last night!

The link to this post is to a Time magazine article that discusses facebook and divorce. Really a good article for anyone dealing with a divorce or attorneys that have a litigation practice.

Cyber-research (some call it cyber-stalking) is the new private investigator. Facebook posts will provide personal information ("I was sooooo drunk at the concert last night"), as well as time stamps and pictures. This information can be used as effective cross-examination or to leverage settlement of certain issues. Further, on the internet people spin themselves inaccurately. Some might call this lying. At a one day hearing where the judge will only know the parties for a few hours, but yet make decisions that carry long-lasting effects, the little white lies posted on the internet can do real damage to a witnesses credibility. If a judge thinks you are not credible, as they say - forgeta 'bout it.

It is not limited to Facebook. Information on 'dating-sites', MySpace or LinkedIn may include estimates of income, occupation details and, again, pictures. Do most people under or over report their income range on a dating site? Obviously over-report. This information can be helpful or damaging at a child support or attorney fee hearing.

Go check your internet profiles and think twice about updating your status with last nights exploits.

UPDATE - The IRS is using FB to track down debtors. Seems like our online lives are being scrutinized from all directions. See link to a WSJ article here