Process servers use a variety of technology to help them locate people who need to be served. As new technology becomes available or more widely used, process servers consider how they might use that technology to help them with their duties. Social media, while not new, has been increasing in popularity over the last decade. Now, process servers and courts are using social media in new ways.
Locating People
Social media can give you a lot of options on finding people to be served. The most commonly used social media platform is Facebook. On a Facebook profile, you can discover someone’s home city and state, their employer and employer’s location, and clubs or organizations that they participate in. All of this information gives the process server multiple options for finding the individual to be served.
There are some problems with using social media to find people for service of process. The information on the social media profile might be old, and the individual might not have updated it. If privacy settings on the account are set in a certain way, no information will be able to be found on social media without being able to actually follow the person on Facebook or other media.
Alternate Method of Service
Although there have been no cases in Florida, some jurisdictions are beginning to allow process servers to complete service through Facebook. When an individual cannot be physically located for any reason, alternative methods of service are available. In the last 15 years, email and fax have been added to the digital ways that people can be served alternatively. Now, more and more jurisdictions are allowing alternative service by Facebook.
The biggest problem with alternative service by Facebook is that you have to be able to prove that the account truly does belong to the person who needs to be served. You also have to be able to prove that the individual actively uses the account and will get the notification.
If you are looking for a private process server who uses all of the tools at their disposal, contact us today for more information or to get started.
