Social media evidence is increasingly presented in civil lawsuits such as Romano v. Steelcase, in New York, in which a plaintiff claimed an on-the-job injury rendered her unable to move but her Facebook and MySpace profile photos of an active vacation told a different story.

Prosecutors in Chicago also secured a conviction and a 17-year prison sentence several years ago against an alleged gunrunner with the help of Facebook photos that showed him posing with large amounts of cash, flashy vehicles and dozens of firearms.