Local Authorities Use Social Networks To Check Up On You

A word of warning: use social networks very carefully. We are often warned about how criminals are using social networks (and other online profiles) to gather information for use in identity theft. But did you know that local authorities are doing exactly the same thing!

A friend of mine has recently applied for Housing Benefit as she is no longer living with her partner. She filled in the forms and waited. After a week or so she received a letter from the local council asking to see her regarding her benefit application. They also stated they wanted to see her bank statements.

The meeting was basically to check that she was telling truth and that her benefit claim was valid. They checked her bank statements to make sure her income level was correct and that she wasn’t receiving and payments from anyone else. Then they started asking questions about her online profile!

It seems that council officers have been Googling her and checking her Bebo, Myspace and Friends Reunited accounts, which all say that she is still with her partner. She explained that she doesn’t use those sites any more (her last login dates supported this) and she simply hadn’t updated her information. But it didn’t stop there. Next they wanted to have a look at her PayPal account to make sure she wasn’t making an income on eBay or in some other way that uses PayPal as the main conduit for payment.

Image via Wikipedia

When I first heard about this, I was surprised that the local authority didn’t check her Facebook account as well. After thinking about it, I seem to remember reading on a local news site that Facebook was actually blocked at those offices after it was founc that people were spending too much time on it, even for the people that use these sites to do their job! I wonder if this will change as it seems that Facebook is the social networking site of choice for many people - even people that wouldn’t touch other such sites with a bargepole.

The shocking thing about all of this is how readily these officers would believe the information on these sites. There have been stories in the press recently about fake Facebook profiles and it wouldn’t be difficult to set someone up like that. Even, as above, if you’ve neglected your profile (or maybe just part of it!) it could provide a reason for an application to be turned down. This could affect not only benefit applications, but job applications, mortgage applications, even passport applications.

On the flip side of this, would it be possible for someone to use social networks to corroborate false information if this much importance is being placed on these sites nowadays?

I’d be interested to know if anyone else has had any real-life experiences tainted by their online activities in a similar way. If you have, please comment below or email me at ryan@ryanajarrett.com