Noting how easily social networking accounts can be faked or hacked, the Pennsylvania Superior Court has ruled in a case of first impression that social media posts are inadmissible in criminal cases unless prosecutors can present evidence of who actually authored them.
In a published March 15 opinion in Commonwealth v. Mangel, a three-judge panel of the court unanimously affirmed a decision by an Erie County trial judge denying the prosecution’s motion in limine to introduce into evidence Facebook posts and messages allegedly authored by defendant Tyler Mangel.
