Has your legal team ever needed to verify a subject’s story or lifestyle? Identify fraud with social media discovery. Fraud on Social Media Fraud is defined as a wrongful act of deception intended to result in personal gain. Legal counsel…
Category: Blog
Role of Social Media in Combatting Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a global crisis that affects people of all ages, often for forced labor or sexual exploitation. In today’s digital world, traffickers can easily target, contact, recruit, and impersonate victims using online platforms. Social media has become a…
Benefits and Risks of Open Source Intelligence Investigations
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) refers to the collection and analysis of publicly available data to support investigative efforts. Unlike private data collection methods, OSINT relies on data from open platforms such as blogs, discussion boards, social media, and even the dark…
Ethical Social Media Discovery for In-House Legal Teams
Social media platforms offer a wealth of information for legal discovery. When done ethically, social media collection is a legitimate and powerful tool. However, one misstep—especially when it comes to interacting with represented parties—can lead to serious consequences. The 2019…
The Pitfalls of In-House Social Media Investigations
Many law firms rely on in-house staff to conduct social media investigations and online research. These employees often juggle other responsibilities and typically aren’t trained in digital evidence collection. Even when performed ethically, in-house efforts come with significant risks that…
Understanding and Evaluating Fake News on Social Media
Social media is a huge part of society today. It’s how we share our lives and keep up with family, friends, and current events. As people spend more and more time on social media platforms, it has also become a…
Scalable Social Media Investigations are Key
Billions of people use social media. That means social media data is no longer a fringe element—it’s a central part of discovery. But the sheer volume of content means that social media investigations must be consistent, repeatable, and scalable. A…
Support The Neighborhood Academy
Empowering Pittsburgh’s Youth As members of the Pittsburgh community, SMI Aware and our employees participate in a variety of community activities and projects. One of these efforts is our support for The Neighborhood Academy The Neighborhood Academy is a faith-based,…
DIY Social Media Discovery and Analysis is a No-Go
Fixing a leaky faucet? DIY might be a smart, cost-effective choice. But when it comes to social media discovery and analysis, the stakes are much higher. Legal teams who take a DIY approach risk missing key evidence, mishandling data, or…
The Rise of NFT Patents and What It Means for IP Law
NFTs—non-fungible tokens—first made waves in the digital art world, with million-dollar headlines and celebrity buzz. Now, they’re entering the legal and intellectual property arena, including an unexpected player: NFT patents. The idea of NFT patents may seem futuristic, but the…