The Role of Social Media Investigations in UK – Navigating the Digital Landscape

When picturing a private investigator, it’s easy to think of someone in a discreet vehicle taking photos using a long-lens camera in order to compile evidence. This is certainly true for many cases but it isn’t the limit of our private investigation services, as we can also carry out in-depth social media investigations where appropriate. If you’re looking for a digital detective to help you gather facts and data to support a case, here’s a little more information on how it all works. 

The Digital Detective: The Benefits of Social Media Investigations

When carried out by a professional and discreet private investigator, social media investigations can offer multiple benefits, such as:

Gathering evidence:

This is the most obvious benefit, as a private investigator can sift through social media platforms to gather evidence relevant to your case. For instance, a social media investigation could involve obtaining information for divorce cases, custody battles, insurance fraud investigations, and so on.

Verification of information:

When the accuracy of certain information needs to be verified, social media can be a goldmine of detail. By cross-referencing information provided by witnesses, suspects or other parties (depending on the nature of the case), a private detective can confirm if there are any conflicting stories.

Locating individuals:

Social media comes with many types of location data, such as geotags, check-ins, or even a photo caption tagging in a business or other physical place. This can often provide valuable clues as to where a person is or has recently been, which helps us to find people who are avoiding paying bills or skipping legal appointments. 

Background checks:

Most people have been on one social media platform or another for many years. This means that a private investigator can trawl through old posts and public conversations in order to analyse their behaviour, such as associations with criminals or illicit activities, as well as identify red flags or inconsistencies.  

Protection from online threats:

If someone has been accused of cyber bullying or sending online threats, a social media investigation can be used to identify any activity that supports the claim. 

Due diligence for businesses:

Due to all of the above being publicly available, companies can hire a private investigator to carry out social media investigations as a means of vetting a potential employee, partner or client. It’s amazing just how much an individual’s social media accounts can uncover in terms of reputation, credibility and integrity.

Intellectual property protection:

Businesses can also hire a private investigator to monitor social media platforms for instances of trademark or copyright infringement, counterfeiting, brand impersonation, or disclosure of confidential information. This ensures that any cases of their intellectual property being unlawfully used can be identified, corroborated, and dealt with.

The Ethical Concerns of Social Media Investigations

We know what you’re wondering: can private investigators hack social media? The short answer is no, we can’t. This is because PIs are bound by legal and ethical standards, so hacking into any social media account would breach both the law and our own principles. However, a private investigator can gather a surprising amount of information through legal and legitimate methods, which are outlined below.

Methods of Social Media Investigations

Wondering how a private investigator can gather information from social media accounts other than simply scrolling through a user’s profiles for weeks on end? Here’s the clever stuff behind most social media investigations:

Deep Web Research

Deep web research involves legally accessing and analysing information that’s not indexed by conventional search engines and isn’t readily accessible through typical web browsing. This includes content that’s either behind paywalls, requires authentication, or is intentionally hidden from public view.

Geolocation

Geolocation refers to the process of identifying the geographical location of a device connected to the internet. This method typically involves a combination of techniques, including GPS, Wi-Fi triangulation, IP address tracking, cellular tower triangulation, and Bluetooth beacons.

Social Media Scraping

Social media scraping is the automated process of extracting data from social media platforms, which is usually performed using software tools or scripts that access the public APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) provided by social media platforms, or by directly parsing the HTML content of web pages.

The Future of Private Investigations

Future private investigations are likely to be shaped by big data analysis, the changing nature of social media, the many potential applications of artificial intelligence, and countless other technological advancements. However, a professional PI will strictly adhere to all existing rules, regulations and laws, as delivering a safe and ethical service should always be their top priority.

Need help from a private investigator?

If you require a private investigator in Birmingham, call Reveal PI today on 0121 663 0251 or get in touch using our contact form.