With tax day just around the corner, it’s probably not a good idea to brag on your Facebook or Twitter page about not paying your taxes this year.
That’s because the IRS will be trolling your social media sites if something looks fishy on your tax returns, regardless of whether or not your page is private.
“All social media is public,” former New Jersey Superior Court Judge Andrew Napolitano said on Fox News’ “Varney & Co” Tuesday.
“Though it might surprise some people, there is no legal argument against this investigative practice,” he continued. “The government does not need a search warrant to look at it.”
While employers can gain access to your private social networking pages through special software programs, the latest announcement from the IRS still raises some eyebrows about why the government needs to scan through your bikini-clad Facebook photos just to make sure you’re not paying your taxes.
Still, social media has proven to come in handy in tracking down criminals. Last week, New York caught and indicted 63 East Harlem gang members by following them on their social media accounts.
It does seem much more unlikely, however, that people evading their taxes would leave a paper trail via Twitter or Facebook.
“The moral of the story is that once you put something on the internet, you can’t take it back,” Napolitano said. “It’s there forever.”
