If You Tweet It, They (the Police) Will Come!

• Author: Jonathan Shime and Megan Schwartzentruber
• Pages: 31-43

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IfYouTweetIt

TheythePoliceWillCome

JonathanShimeandMeganSchwarentruber*

AINTRODUCTION

Weliveinaworldinundatedwithtechnologyands ocialmediaAtvir-

tually everymomentofour dayespeciallyou rworkdayweare using

sometec hnological devicewhether it be aBlackBerr yor an iPhone a

cellphoneor a computerThrough these devices we send emails and

text messages and can access the Internet Li nkedIn Facebook and

othersocial networkingsitesAs aresultt hesedevicesnowhold some

ofourmostprivatethoughtscommunicationsandideas

Rarelydoweconsiderthe implications ofthe useof these devices

specically the possibility that the informationdata contained therein

may be displayedpublicly or even worse in a courtroom sei ngIn

thecrim inallawcontexthoweverthein formationdatastoredinthe se

technologicaldevicesisnowregularlyseizedbythepolicetenderedby

prosecutors and admied in court by judges One must now assume

thatifonedoesInternetsearchessendstextmessagesoremailsorposts

messagesonli nethose materials will betendered asevidence incou rt

shouldapersonbecomeinvolvedinacriminalprosec ution

Thefactthattheevidenceisobtainedwithinanemployeremployee

contextdoesnot change thenat ureof thean alysisto beappliedor the

likelylegaloutcomeOneshouldassumethattheuseoftechnologyand

socialmedia int heworkplaceisalso notoutsidethe reachof thecri m-

inallaw

 OfCooperSandlerKauf manShimeLLPJonathanShi meapartnerint herm

hasrepresentedc lientsonawidevariet yofcrimi nalchargesMega nSchwaren-

truberistec hsavvyandwr otethisenti repaperusingonlyheri Phone