How Can Social Media Impact My Illinois Divorce?

 Posted on December 00,0000 in DuPage County divorce lawyer

Social media has been one of the defining topics of the 20th century. According to Hootsuite, a social media management platform, there were nearly 3.5 billion people around the world actively using social media at the beginning of 2019. With so many people connected on the Internet through websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, people are sharing their personal lives with each other more than ever before. While this can be a good thing, it can be detrimental if you are going through a divorce. Sharing parts of your personal life online can create evidence that can be used against you that can affect the outcome of issues such as spousal maintenance, property division, and even child-centered issues such as parenting time and decision-making responsibilities.

Using Social Media Posts in Your Favor

Social media is easy to use, which allows people to post photos and comments without having to think too much about what they are doing. In some situations, these kinds of posts can leave clues for the other spouse about issues such as hidden assets or whether or not the ex-spouse has a true need for spousal maintenance. For example, your ex might be petitioning to receive spousal maintenance due to claims he or she will not be able to enjoy the same standard of living that was enjoyed during the marriage. However, if he or she posts photos of a vacation with friends, you may be able to use those posts as evidence that he or she was not being completely honest about his or her financial situation.

Social Media as Evidence in Court

In the state of Illinois, using information obtained from social media is a legitimate form of evidence. This means that anything you or your spouse post on social media could be used against you in court, as long as the information was not obtained illegally or fraudulently. You cannot open fake social media accounts with the intention of posing as another person to gain information. You also cannot “hack” into your spouse’s account with the intention of gaining information. As a general rule of thumb, if the information you are using was posted publicly and available to users with an account, it is typically admissible as evidence in court.

Contact a Kane County Divorce Attorney

The legal landscape has changed in the past decade or so as the technology has become more and more prevalent in our lives. Social media can be a powerful and useful tool when it comes to proving certain issues in court. At the Law Office of Matthew M. Williams, P.C., we understand that social media can play an important role in any divorce case. Our knowledgeable Batavia asset division lawyers can help you understand how to protect yourself on social media during your divorce while also using social media to your advantage. Call our office today at 630-409-8184 to begin discussing your case.

Sources:

https://www.natlawreview.com/article/family-law-social-media-evidence-divorce-cases

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a-look-at-how-social-medi_b_10633940

https://p.widencdn.net/kqy7ii/Digital2019-Report-en