With social media continuing to expand, people are just now realizing that most content you publish online is available to the public. This realization comes as several people are being arrested by social media.

Getting Arrested by Social Media

Last week, a man in New Orleans was arrested for robbing a jewelry store last year. Police had not been able to find the suspect since last year until just last week. How did they manage to figure out the perpetrator without any video evidence?

The suspect posted pictures of himself on Facebook with the stolen jewelry, issuing out taunts to the owner. In addition to that, he released several similar photos through Instagram. The jewelry clearly matched that which was stolen from the store one year ago, allowing police to make the positive identification and arrest.

Now, the suspect is denying any involvement with the robbery, although he does claim possession of the stolen jewelry. Even if he did not participate in the actual robbery, he may be able to identify the people who did. This is just one example of how social media has helped resolve a crime.

More Fun Stories

Today, CNN released an article discussing people who have been arrested by social media. The first story involves a man who “pretended” to be drinking and driving, posting the video to a video-sharing site. Even though the man denies there was any alcohol in the bottle, he was arrested and brought before a judge.

The article continues with several other similar stories, all having the same central theme. People are being arrested by social media for content that they publish online. All of these people assume that the content is harmless, or do not believe that police will be able to see it.

These stories show how social media is rapidly changing our society. Even if we try to make our content private, there are ways for police and investigators to get around most privacy settings. Be careful what you post online, or you may also be arrested by social media in the near future.