Most people called to serve on grand or petit juries regularly use the Internet to transact business, conduct research and carry out daily activities. And social media have become lifelines to networking with friends, families and co-workers. Unfortunately, a growing number of potential jurors have fallen prey to the lure of Tweeting or doing a Google search about the cases before them. This wrinkle in due process has challenged the courts and counsel to find new ways of uncovering online misconduct and preventing it in the future.
Today, anyone with a wireless connection can instantly expand their intelligence about any person, place or subject. Indeed, the privatization of the Gutenberg revolution, through the dissemination of portable printing press technologies, has transformed cloistered jurors into adventuring Google detectives and Facebook informants. And escalating social media usage is at the forefront of this revolution.
