Be wary of what you post to Facebook and Instagram: Your social media activity could be used by the federal government to evaluate a disability claim.
CBS News reports the Social Security Administration and Office of the Inspector General currently use the platforms to flag any fraudulent activity. The SSA plans to expand its usage to review applicants filing for disability benefits.
"We are evaluating how social media could be used by disability adjudicators in assessing the consistency and supportability of evidence in a claimant's case file," the agency said in the 2020 budget.
It's not yet known how the government would examine social media posts as it has not provided an outline.
However, it's believed it would be difficult for federal disability examiners to authenticate Facebook or Instagram profiles as they are not connected to a person's Social Security number. Users often choose to set their profiles to private as well.
There's also a warning from critics that any post on social media isn't necessarily reflective of a person's lifestyle. CBS News details the case of Paul Young, a disability attorney, whose client had a post brought up by a judge at a disability hearing.
The man reportedly went on the hike, something he didn't normally do, and was bedridden three days later.
"You want to be careful because you don't want something to be taken out of context," Young told CBS.
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