Friday 6 January 2012

Beware the watchful eye of Facebook

A recent survey revealed that in 2011 one third of divorce petitions included the word Facebook. The most common reasons for it to be cited in the grounds for divorce were inappropriate messages to others, unpleasant posts about each other and reports of unwise behaviour.

The review of 5000 petitions for divorce also included mention of Twitter in 20 of those.

Nothing new in the behaviour but facebook, twitter and other social media can provide evidence for suspicious spouses and their divorce solicitors.

They can also be a rich source of information about someone's financial circumstances - very useful for your divorce solicitor when negotiating a financial divorce settlement.

Our divorce advice - avoid using social media during the divorce process.

For more advice on divorce read our family law blog or follow us on Twitter @Divorce_experts

1 comment:

  1. It's amazing how much social media is being used in family law. In Australia, it's estimated that photos/comments from social media are being used to discredit people in 20% of Family Court proceedings. In the UK, a spouse’s behaviour on Facebook is now cited in a third of UK divorces in which unreasonable behaviour was a factor. Unfortunately, social media's impact on family law does not stop there - as it’s also now a major tool for divorce-related bullying (e.g. continuing communication, posting nasty messages, hacking accounts, etc). More: Family & The Law (Family Law Portal)

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