Many people continue to haphazardly post pictures and other personal content on the internet. This can include posted material on facebook, instragram, google +, and various other social media sites. Often it can seem like this material is posted anonymously and is, therefore, inaccessible, but this simply is not the case.
Insurance companies like ICBC frequently use this information against people making personal injury claims. They may hire teams of personal investigators with specialities in digging up dirt on the internet:
“We have our own cyber team within our Special Investigations Unit which looks into potentially exaggerated or fraudulent claims and carries out many of the activities previously performed by private investigators, such as social media searches.”
In my personal experience handling cases both for and against ICBC, the use of “cyber analysts” was extremely frequent. Not only would adjusters use this information in their analysis and quantification of a case, but this information would often become crucial during trials.
Private information that can be found on the internet can play a crucial role in determining whether or not an injured party is credible. In the event that a case goes to trial, either a judge or a jury will decide the injured parties award. Contradictory evidence can be extremely punishing to a plaintiff’s credibility, and the courts will look at statements and pictures from online sources. Although such evidence does not have the same effect as statements given under oath, it is, nonetheless, extremely influential.
