In news reports that span the gamut from anonymous terroristic threats directed to Mike Tyson’s Broadway show,1 to the source of the WikiLeaks,2 the spotlight of public attention has been drawn to the availability of material evidence from online social networks. It was to be expected as online social networks have become a significant part of the lives of many. No one can approximate with accuracy the amount of hours a day spent by the average user in communicating with his or her contacts, “friends” or acquaintances on Facebook,3 Twitter,4 LinkedIn5 or similar social media sites making connections, contacting business associates, or just updating friends.
Although these sites began as simple opportunities to make contact with others, today they comprise complex communications networks for the transmission of ideas, photographs, videos, and other content-based messages, referred to here simply as “digital chatter.” The number of users involved in this digital chatter is estimated at over 1.5 billions users; one social medium alone claims that it has over 500 million active users, with the average user creating 90 pieces of content each month.6 More importantly, this digital chatter is potentially invaluable because the users of these networks typically communicate in an uninhibited manner, disclosing personal data that the user would probably never want to see the light of day.
