Podcast: Facebook content, a legal resource or private property?
Social media seems to be just about everywhere, and used by just about everyone. But with a lack of legal boundaries surrounding social media, it becomes difficult to determine what is fair game for law enforcement and what is private property. A recent trend where US law enforcement agencies have searched Facebook accounts without the users’ consent suggests to some that there is a need for laws to evolve with developing technology.
Fourth Amendment rights have also been brought into question with the rise of social media sites like Facebook being used as a legal resource. Without the users’ knowledge, law enforcement agencies are gaining access to detailed aspects of their account, such as messages, status updates, and even rejected Friend requests.
We spoke with John Browning, managing partner for the Dallas office of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard and Smith, and author of The Lawyer’s Guide to Social Networking: Understanding Social Media’s Impact on the Law about this issue. John shared with us how he sees social media affecting the legal system, how he believes laws will need to change, and how his book is a great resource for lawyers dealing with issues involving social media.
Listen to the full interview with John by clicking on the player below or by downloading it here.