You may think of your online activity as something that is private. But if you're using apps and platforms developed by a third party, it may not be. You're given a privacy policy that you sign, authorizing that company to do certain things with your data. In many cases, this policy will say that the company will gladly share any information with law enforcement if asked.

It's true that the police often cannot open your phone without your permission or a warrant, and they may also need a warrant to get your data from social media companies or other tech companies. But this definitely shows how it is possible, which is something that is worth being aware of. This is especially true because many people will simply click that they agree to the privacy policy without ever reading it or the other terms and conditions. You may have already agreed to share data without realizing it.

Other means of collecting evidence

Another thing to remember is that the police can certainly use public social media information when gathering evidence. They can find pictures or posts that you have put on sites like Facebook, Reddit or Twitter.

In fact, many individuals who were involved in the January 6 insurrection of the U.S. Capitol have found this out in real-time. A lot of them took pictures of themselves in the capitol building or on the grounds, posted these pictures to public websites, and were subsequently arrested when the police easily verified the information.

Understanding your rights

The amount of data on the Internet increases every year, and it becomes a bigger and bigger part of people's lives. It's very important to understand how this can impact a criminal case and what rights you have

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