Unmasking an Anonymous Defamer on Facebook

For Business, For Legal Professionals | 20 Mar 2023

A case study on work that Notion Digital Forensics have completed.

Overview

A medium-sized contractor company faced defamatory comments posted through an anonymous Facebook account. Rather than pursue international legal channels or depend on social media platform cooperation, the company engaged digital forensics analysis to identify the responsible party.

Objectives

The investigation aimed to unmask the operator of an anonymous Facebook account posting damaging statements about the contractor business, using alternative methods to traditional legal proceedings or social media assistance.

Approach

The team examined post content and associated metadata, identifying patterns to develop a suspect list. Analysis focused on industry-specific details that could narrow the field. Four potential individuals were identified, and the client’s legal counsel sent formal letters requesting clarification.

Results

One recipient responded with extreme anger, and their reply content strongly suggested they were the account operator. Within days, the defamatory post disappeared from Facebook without additional intervention required.

Conclusion

The investigation demonstrated that careful metadata and content analysis can effectively identify anonymous online defamers. This approach proved more efficient than prolonged legal processes or relying on platform cooperation.