‘Friends’ can share your Facebook profile with the government, court rules

A federal judge has ruled that investigators can go through your Facebook profile if one of your friends gives them permission to do so.

The decision, which is part of a New York City racketeering trial, comes as courts struggle to define privacy and civil liberties in the age of social media. In an order issued on August 10, US District Judge William Pauley III ruled that accused gangster Melvin Colon can’t rely on the Fourth Amendment to suppress Facebook evidence that led to his indictment. Colon had argued that federal investigators violated his privacy by tapping into his profile through an informant who was one of this Facebook friends. The informant’s Facebook friendship served to open an online window onto Colon’s alleged gangster life, revealing messages he posted about violent acts and threats to rival gang members. The government used this information to obtain a search warrant for the rest of Colon’s Facebook account. The Colon information is part of a larger investigation into crack-dealing and murder in the Bronx. Judge Pauley III’s ruling is significant because it is the latest in a series of cases that defines how and when police can search social media.