SOCIAL SECURITY MAY WATCH YOUR FACEBOOK OR TWITTER PAGE

The US government gathers evidence to decide who qualifies for Social Security disability benefits. Sometimes, they father evidence in ways you are not aware of. For example, they could monitor your social media posts, such as Twitter or Facebook.

That's not a conspiracy theory: it's a program the Trump Administration has openly pursued for years. Members of Congress have recommend snooping on your social media pages to combat "fraud and dishonesty."

Is it risky to post information about yourself on social media if you are trying for a disability benefit?

Robert A. Crowe, Saint Louis attorney who has practiced for 40 years says: "You don't want anything on there that shows you out playing frisbee."

Good advice. How abut a photo of you just walking the dog or playing with the grandchildren? How about a post that describes your summer vacation, or talking about the high school basketball tournament? Can judges really decide that these kind of things show that your disability claim is not credible?

If Social Security decision makers are really watching your social media posts, it's an easy, inexpensive and effective way of checking out what you've been up to. No need to hire a private investigator or detective to follow you around because you are self-reporting.

You may say, "it's an invasion of privacy." But it's not. Social media are not private, they are public. It's just like printing something in the newspaper or putting it the Ten O'clock news on TV. The only difference is, more people can see it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram than would see it in the newspaper or TV news: it's even more public, not less.

One attorney comments: We advise our clients not to post anything on social media that they would not be comfortable talking about in court."