Text Messages - To Use or Not to Use

The internet, newspapers and television use scare tactics so others will feel intimidated by usage of text messaging. However, texting has been used to prove small claims, misconduct, all the way to felony charges.

People want to think text messages cannot be used in court however text messages sent on one's cell phone is used at the discretion of the courts.

A new technique enables you to authenticate the text. The technique is called My Electronic Evidence which lets you memorialize an electronic record (like a record of a text, photo, video or e-mail message) with a date, a voice statement and a notation about where you think the message came from and how you preserved it.

One gentleman interviewed used this for his wife as part of a divorce/child custody battle, her friend's spouse subpoenaed the text messages between his wife and her friend. Although the messages didn't say anything more than "Let's go 2 lunch" and so on, the messages were still turned over.

One never knows when texting will serve as a purpose. Evidence is evidence and depending on the nature of the case texting can always be used as a purpose.