Facebook is a social media platform owned by Meta that allows users to connect and share content with others. It offers various features, including status updates, photo and video sharing, messaging, and a feed that displays updates from a user’s network.
Facebook is intuitively easy to navigate. The instructions for creating a Facebook account are provided here: https://www.facebook.com/help/345121355559712. While you may be able to review some very public profiles, and public pages on Facebook, you will not get access to the majority of the content until you create an account.
You will need either a mobile telephone number or an email address to create the account. If you do not wish to create a Facebook account in your own name, you can create one in another name however doing so will violate website’s terms of service and may result in your account being shut down. In some jurisdictions creating a false account is illegal. Check the laws in your jurisdiction and see this page for more information on Facebook’s policies: https://www.facebook.com/terms.php
Furthermore, in order to understand what information you are providing Facebook when you create an account, we recommend reading their data policy: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy/?entry_point=data_policy_redirect&entry=0
Investigating Facebook can be especially valuable for OSINT investigators due to the platform’s extensive user base and the detailed personal information users often share, such as location check-ins, employment history, and interests. Additionally, analyzing interactions, group memberships, and posted content can reveal patterns, affiliations, and potential connections relevant to the investigation, enhancing situational awareness.
There is a search bar at the top left of the page in which a researcher can enter an individual’s name or a phrase of interest. For more information on searching, visit Facebook’s FAQ page here: https://www.facebook.com/help/821153694683665/?helpref=hc_fnav
In recent developments, Facebook decided to block Canadian news content in August 2023 in response to proposed Federal Canadian legislation. As a consequence, Canadian users experience a lack of news/news articles on the platform, impacting their access to reliable information.
Additionally, Facebook and Instagram have also incorporated artificial intelligence into their search functionalities. We will be talking more about AI and the explosion of its capabilities further in this guide.
