Social Media Forensics

Social Media Forensics

About Our Social Media Forensics Practice

The rise of social media has revolutionized the way people communicate, advertise, and conduct business. Millions of people around the world now post and chat on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, LinkedIn, and other social networking sites.  It was inevitable then that lawsuits and investigations would soon follow into this digital realm.

While social media can be a great source of information and communication, it can also contain valuable evidentiary information for computer forensic, e-discovery, and cybercrime matters. Our experienced team understands the nuances of all social media platforms and has conducted hundreds of forensic investigations involving social media ESI.

Our Services

100s of years of collective experience doing forensics. And of course working out of the box and solving problems…

Preserve Detect Spoliation Legal Engineering Performing Forensics Serve as Expert Witness

Preserve Social Media Data and Accounts

Forensically collect social network profiles and information from social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
Preserve social media posts for use in civil litigation in state and federal court,
Analyze the social media posts and meta-data and network relationships for the various social media platforms,
Provide expert reports and/or affidavits of the results of the forensic analysis for use in civil litigation in state and federal court.

Detect Spoliation of Social Media Data and Accounts

Analyze social network platforms to determine who created an account, if an account was deleted, and whether specific aspects of an account were modified.
On-site and remote collection of social media data from a wide range of social medial accounts including LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, WeChat, Weibo, Google+, TikTok, and Twitter.
Forensic analysis of social media postings and extracting metadata relating to the social media post (e.g., location, date/time, individuals, and etc.).

Legal Engineering

Establish the authenticity of social media accounts.
Translate technical findings into digestible information for lawyers.
Create intricate timelines based on recovered metadata from social media accounts.

Perform Forensics on Social Media Data and Accounts

Extract data and evidence from Facebook, WeChat, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and other social media sites to assist with on-going disputes.
Examine social media accounts to determine both the method of entry and event and profile and quantify data loss.
Identify social media artifacts using cutting edge technology.

Serve as Expert Witness Regarding Social Media Data and Accounts

Testify and/or draft expert reports on topics related to the technology and evidentiary value of social media ESI and digital artifacts.
Identify, collect, and preserve social media electronically stored information in a defensible and reasonable fashion that can withstand the scrutiny of the courts and opposing counsel.

Case Studies by Industry

Software

Industry/Sector: Software

Type of Case: Employment Litigation

Description: Hired by a software company to assist outside counsel in an employment case. Efforts included:

- Recovered deleted Facebook messages.
- Analyzed search engine caches containing deleted social media content.
- Recovered archived versions of old web pages and content.
- Recovered photos from smartphones that were posted to social media and then deleted.
- Provided a report to counsel used to achieve a favorable outcome for the client.

Global Automotive Company

Industry/Sector: Manufacturing

Type of Case: Labor Investigation

Description: Hired by outside counsel to conduct forensic investigation connected to an internal investigation regarding multiple employees and contractors concerning various labor disputes at a manufacturing company. Efforts included:

- Collected hundreds of social media accounts on multiple platforms including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Snap Chat.
- Analyzed social media accounts for hundreds of individuals to determine who created the account, if the account was deleted, and whether specific aspects of the account were modified.
- Drafted an expert report used by outside counsel to facilitate a favorable settlement on behalf of the client.
- Assisted counsel in contacting various social media platforms to close various accounts.

Oil and Gas

10’s of Thousands of Social Media Accounts

analyzed

1000’s of Instagram Accounts

analyzed

46+ Collective Years

of relevant experience

10’s of Thousands of Facebook

profiles analyzed

1000’s of Snapchat Accounts

analyzed

100’s of Slack Accounts

analyzed

Social Media Forensics Practice Edge

Cyber Insurance for Law Firms: Understanding the Cyber Risk Policy and Key Considerations for Law Firm Policy Holders

Capabilities

Track record of assisting our clients connect the dots to piece together a storyline from social media accounts to further their case or investigation and providing our clients with expert testimony that exceeds expectations in cases that involve fraud, intellectual property theft, employee misconduct, workplace harassment, etc. Our team has experience, expertise and access to a wide range of forensic software and hardware including: X-Ways Forensics, WireShark, AccessData FTK, Encase, BlackBag Forensic Software, Nuix, The Sleuth Kit, Volatility Framework Systems, e-fense, ProDiscover Forensics, Paladin, FTK Imager, Magnet RAM Capture, Registry Recon, Cellebrite, Tsunami Blu, Nordic eSIM, Paraben, Oxygen Forensics, MacQuisition, and Cellebrite UFED Touch.

Annual Review of Regulations of Bitcoin and Blockchain in the United States and Abroad

Competitive fees

Our fees structure is competitive, and we offer clients success based, hourly and fixed fee arrangements while ensuring that each engagement is spearheaded by a senior member of our team, with significant knowledge and experience.

Expertise

Our team of experts has 10+ years of testifying experience and technical training related to social media forensics that provides a unique and valuable edge in investigations, trials, hearings, and disputes that involve social media. Our team has performed forensics on thousands of social media accounts on multiple platforms including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Snap Chat, WeChat, TikTok, WeChat and others. Provided deposition testimony on forensics investigations often involving social media accounts.

Review of Alternative Dispute Resolution Case Law in 2018

Quality Control

All our engagements undergo a quality assurance review so the finished product can withstand intense scrutiny by opposing counsel and experts.