social media investigation Archives

Fired for Posting on Social Media

When posting to any social media platform, it might help to think of all of it as potentially public. Remember that anyone can take a screenshot or copy and pass on your post without your knowledge.

There’s something about social media that enables users to say or do anything and think they can get away with it. Is it the fact that they are hiding behind a screen? Or maybe they are pretending to have an alter ego?

In the age of social media there’s a phenomenon that sees users across the world, broadcast messages to the masses that they might not actually say aloud. Whatever the reason, negative or inappropriate social media posts can have severe implications on your career and even your life.

Here are some examples of what not to do on Social Media if you want to keep your job.

1. Complaining about your Job

It seems like a no-brainer. If you complain about your job or make a derogatory or racist remark on social media, someone at your company is going to hear about it. It’s inevitable. Even if you delete it after the fact, the damage has already been done.
After securing a job at a pizza restaurant, Texas teenager Cella took to Twitter so her friends could know how much she dreaded her upcoming first day, calling it a “f*** a** job.” Her friends may have found it funny, but her new boss certainly didn’t. He replied to her on Twitter that she didn’t need to bother showing up; firing her before she even stepped a foot into her new place of employment. Ouch.

2. Political Opinions and Racist Remarks

Radical political opinions can get you in trouble no matter who you are, but when you vow to never follow orders from your Commander and Chief, and you happen to be a Sergeant, it can get you in real trouble. Former Marine Sgt. Gary Stein voiced his opinion on both the country and Obama in a highly negative Facebook post. This ended with a dishonorable discharge and some pretty huge life changes as he watched his career go down the drain.

Drawing all over your passed-out friends and posting the picture to social media is nothing new – but it becomes distasteful when you add a Nazi theme, swastikas and anti-Semitic words to your “art”. Caitlin Davis, a cheerleader for the New England Patriots, drew several symbols on an unconscious party-goer. When the photo found its way onto Facebook, fans and random viewers alike were understandably outraged – encouraging the Patriots to do the patriotic thing and fire Caitlin Davis.

3. On the Job Antics

One hospital in Wiltshire, England, didn’t share the sense of humor displayed by its employees when they took a few seconds out of their workday to lie down in strange places around their workplace, tagging it “The Lying Down on the Job Game.” When a few hospital employees decided to play along, they posted pictures of themselves lying around the hospital on the floor or even on the helipad. The higher ups decided if they had that much time on their hands, why not have more? They were all fired.

4. Involving Children

Daycare workers are bound to have bad days, and sometimes a large group of kids can wear your nerves thin. But this caretaker took it too far. Not only did they make an offhanded Facebook post complaining about their job, but they went as far as posting photographs of the children along with snide comments, which actually reached one child’s mother. Following this, the child’s mother immediately made justified complaints to the daycare, ensuring the employee was fired.

5. Criticizing Leaders

Elizabeth Lauten, communications director for the Republican Representative of Tennessee, apparently forgot the value of positive communication. Lauten criticized Obama’s two daughters by posting this on Facebook: “I get you’re both in those awful teen years, but you’re part of the First Family, try showing a little class”. She also criticized the morals of the President and First Lady, and ended her post with a final suggestion to “Act like being in the White House matters to you. Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar.” Her boss had a suggestion for her as well – apologize and then resign, which she did.

If you feel strongly about maintaining a social media presence and want to continue to voice your opinion, make sure that only the people you want seeing your posts are seeing them. Double check your privacy settings so only friends can see your Timeline. And pay attention to who you add as a friend.

A case study in Harvard Business Review pointed out that your privacy settings are null and void if you’ve friended your boss or your clients – both types of people could be offended by a political opinion or joke. Always think before you post.

Social media is part of your personal brand so you need to remember to keep it somewhat professional at all times. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun with your friends or vent from time to time but try to remember that nothing online is ever truly private.

Social Media and the Selling of Drugs to Kids

Drug dealers are increasingly using social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat to sell illegal substances to young people, some as young as 13. Experts have warned the “disturbing” trend rapidly growing in the last year and a half with young people buying illicit substances from strangers and meeting up with them.

How are children being targeted?

Instagram and Snapchat are the most popular platforms for drug dealers to use although similar activity has been reported on Facebook. Young people are being attracted by hashtags and emojis used by dealers alongside images of the drugs they offer. They then provide alternative contact details such as Wickr, an encrypted messaging app which authorities cannot trace.

Encounters between dealers and customers are particularly risky when they do not know each other because if they know you, there is less chance of being ripped off or facing violence according to Nick Hickmott, from the charity, Young Addaction. The availability of local drug dealers is usually spread by word of mouth with the most popular drugs sold being “party drugs” such as MDMA and ecstasy although benzodiazepines such as Xanax, which is often used to self-medicate depression and anxiety, are commonly sold.

In Chicago police arrested 50 people, including a Chicago Public Schools teacher, and have warrants for another 18 after infiltrating secret Facebook groups selling illegal drugs and guns, police said. The arrests came after police infiltrated dozens of secret Facebook groups that require approval by a group administrator to see. Police began their investigation in February after receiving information from a confidential informant. Daniel Caponigri, a first-year physical elementary teacher at Chicago’s George Leland Elementary, was arrested at CPS school for selling drugs.

Who is selling them?

Children as young as 12 are being forced to sell Class A drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine themselves, often because they have parents who are habitual drug users and subsequently lead a chaotic lifestyle.

For example, around 4,000 teenagers from London are trafficked into selling drugs in more rural towns and cities every year, which has become so prevalent that it has been given its own name’ “county lines,” in reference to the dedicated mobile phones or “lines” that they use to carry out their sales across the country.

Many of the girls who are sent are often sexually assaulted and or abused.

They are also driving up the use of guns, acid and knives in attacks across the country, according to a former Senior Official at the National Crime Agency with 85% carrying knives, 74% referencing guns and 25% reporting acid attacks. Other incidents included kidnapping, robbery and assault with nine reported deaths so far being related to drug gangs.

Who should be responsible for stopping this?

Many believe that the social media platforms themselves should be responsible for shutting down the dealers’ accounts.

“Facebook has a responsibility to the people they serve to ensure these type of things don’t happen, quite frankly they have not been very friendly to law enforcement to prevent these things,” said Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson. Johnson said his investigators received no cooperation from Facebook during its 10 month investigation.

Police said undercover officers infiltrated dozens of private invitation only secret groups on Facebook that were selling drugs and firearms. “Many with serial numbers scratched out and some with magazines capable for holding more than 30 rounds of ammo, most fully loaded ready to use at the time of purchase,” said Chicago Police Organized Crime Chief Anthony Riccio The kind of guns, police say, that are regularly used in Chicago’s shootings. Police arranged the purchase of 18 illegal firearms and $45,000 dollars’ worth of drugs. Police said all kinds of illegal trafficking is done through dozens and dozens of invitation-only secret groups that are not visible on a regular Facebook page.

In a written response, a Facebook spokesperson says, “We are investigating this report now as it is the first time we have been alerted to it. We do not allow the sale of guns or drugs on our platform. We routinely work with law enforcement.”

Chicago police said they asked for help from Facebook, but did not get any cooperation. Johnson said Chicago police have recovered 8,600 firearms off the streets this year and have made nearly 30 percent more gun arrests than last year. Chicago Police Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said that the department and Facebook would be meeting in January to better collaborate on stopping illegal activity.

A spokesperson for Instagram said that they are required to follow the law in regards to the sale of illegal drugs and reports are reviewed constantly and removed as quickly as possible when considered necessary.

Snapchat also said it took responsibility in creating a safe and secure experience seriously and has an active safety team which responds to any concerns within 24 hours. They also said that there was no place for selling drugs on Snapchat.

Although others suggest that rather than giving social media the near-impossible job of monitoring such behavior, more education should be put in place for young people online.

Harry Sumnall, a Professor in substance abuse at the Public Health Institute believes that more research into the trend is needed and believes a better idea would be to ensure young people are educated on the dangers of taking and buying drugs online alongside general internet safety education.

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Lawyers: Don’t Be Sideswiped By Social Media

When taking on a new client, one of the first things that is done during the interview/discovery process is asking your client about his/her social media accounts and habits. It’s good to be aware of what they have online, as this can easily be used as evidence if the case goes to trial.

Your new client may or may not be totally forthcoming with this information; your hope is that they disclose as much as possible so you can help them. But what if they’re not completely aware of what’s online about them, either posted by others or an account created years ago that has been long forgotten?

This is where a strong social media background check is needed. Utilizing such a service can help you uncover any public facing online content surrounding an individual or group of individuals. What does a social media background check tell you?

- A full scope of your client’s social media/online presence – pull any public facing information so you know what’s out there and what may need to be done to “clean up” a social account if necessary

- Uncover potentially damning information and/or accounts your client has forgotten about that may be relevant to their case

- If a client’s situation may result in a trial, it’s good to expand the social media background check to those involved in the case, whether it’s witnesses, a plaintiff/defendant, or other key players. The more you know ahead of time, the better prepared you will be.

When thinking about a social media background check, most people automatically think of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. However, a background check scans all of the internet and can find additional information, such as:

- Participation in online forums/message boards

- Blogs or comments written by your client on blogs or in response to online articles

- Amazon wish lists (if public)

- News articles/online public notices specific to your client, which may include information about past legal issues

- Content that other people have posted about your client

Social media can be invaluable when helping a client. It can also lead to surprises you don’t want to find out once it’s too late. Adding a social media background check to your practice can help uncover useful information to best serve your client – after all, who wants to get sideswiped?