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How could social media land you in trouble for violence?

On Behalf of | Jul 19, 2022 | Violent crimes

If you were involved in a fight, what happens on social media over the next few weeks could affect your case.

People often worry about the state watching their every move through surveillance cameras. Yet the reality is that people themselves are the ones doing much of the surveillance.

These days most people carry a mobile phone with a built-in camera. They can easily snap a picture or record a video of anything interesting going on around them. Many are more likely to do that than intervene.

Typically, they upload it to the internet, where everyone and their dog can access it. Hence if the police are looking for evidence of a recent incident, they know there is a good chance of finding helpful information on social media.

The problem is that people do not always get the whole picture

Let’s say someone records you punching someone, and the police get hold of the footage. To all intents and purposes, it appears you assaulted someone.

What the bystander might not have caught on film is the provocation that led to you unleashing your fists. Maybe the person you hit had flashed a gun at you seconds earlier. Perhaps they had said things that led you to believe you were in imminent danger.

Refrain from posting after the event

Pre-meditation can also affect the severity of the offense. It will be much harder to claim something was accidental or spur-of-the-moment if you then post about how they had it coming to them.

Getting legal help as soon as you are arrested for a violent crime increases the chance you can make social media work in your favor and reduces the chance it works against you.