FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is MyCyberScout?
A. MyCyberScout is a unique investigative report that captures publicly available information contained in a Facebook profile page, a Twitter account, or a YouTube video with comments.
Q. How is MyCyberScout better than just taking a snapshot image of a computer screen containing the information I want to save?
A. The report you receive from MyCyberScout includes not only the information visible on the site, but also the metadata (information about the social media information captured, such as the type of information it is, date created, date captured, account ID and more) and an electronic signature (unique md5 hash value) that can provide proof to authorities or individuals (school administrators, police, etc.) that the captured information is what it purports to be and has not been altered.
Q. How does MyCyberScout help you show that the captured social media information has not been altered?
A. MyCyberScout contains collection logging, metadata harvesting and generation of MD5 hash values(unique digital fingerprint) for all content downloaded from the requested site. MyCyberScout provides you with a ZIP file deliverable that contains files that are date and time-stamped to represent the time of collection.
Q. How is MyCyberScout different from a social media monitoring service?
A. MyCyberScout is a report that captures a onetime snapshot of public facing information from a Facebook profile page, Twitter account, or YouTube video with comments. Each snapshot is unique at the time the report is created.
Q. What information can be collected by MyCyberScout?
A. MyCyberScout captures public data that can contain the text comments, pictures, and website links associated with a Facebook post, Twitter tweet or YouTube video complete with comments. MyCyberScout also captures the behind-the-scenes data associated with the post, such as time stamp information and other pertinent data technically referred to as metadata. For a complete list of all the metadata fields click here.
Q. Can MyCyberScout collect private information in addition to the public information from Facebook or Twitter?
A. MyCyberScout contains collection logging, metadata harvesting and generation of MD5 hash values (unique digital fingerprint) for all content downloaded from the requested site. MyCyberScout provides you with a ZIP file deliverable that contains files that are dated and time-stamped to represent the time of collection.
Q. Does MyCyberScout collect the comments associated with YouTube videos that are captured?
A. MyCyberScout will capture all associated comments along with the YouTube video content. The comment capture would encompass any comments made before the time of capture that have not been already deleted or altered by the commenting user.
Q. Can I collect public information from social media sites other than Facebook, Twitter or YouTube?
A. MyCyberScout only collects public data from Facebook, Twitter and YouTube at this time.
Q. What do I actually get in a MyCyberScout report?
A. The MyCyberScout report is an electronic, web-based file that contains publicly-available social media data. The report can be reviewed and searched using your computer's web browser. You can also print the information contained in the report.
Q. What if I want to do multiple searches of a social media site at different times?
A. You can request multiple MyCyberScout Reports.
Q. What if I want to search multiple social media sites (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube)?
A. MyCyberScout can search and provide reports for all three of these social media sites. See the pricing schedule on the MyCyberScout website for special pricing when you combine a Facebook and Twitter search on the same order.
Q. How do I read the MyCyberScout report?
A. The MyCyberScout Public Profile Export is a report that contains the following information.
DocID: A unique number that MyCyberScout assigns to each document post.
Body: The text information contained in the post.
Name: The name of the account holder of the post.
Links: The website URL address of the original post.
Created Time: The local data and time the post was created along with the universal time code (UTC) the post was created.
Metadata Link: A link to a file that contains the metadata fields (hidden field and field data) associated with the original post.
Exported File: An authenticated copy of the post that can be saved to a folder on your computer.
HTML Source: The HTML source code (if applicable) of the page.
Page Image: An image copy of the original page (if applicable).
Page MD5 File: The saved information that contains the original file and the checksum data string out of the original file's characteristics.
Video: A saved authenticated copy of the original video file (if applicable).
Q. What sort of information is contained in social media?
A. Photos, comments (including comments sent via text message), video, links to websites, articles and more.
Q. What can I do with the information in a MyCyberScout report?
A. Your MyCyberScout report has unique MD5 hash values (electronic signatures) that are captured from the social media site along with the key metadata unique to social media. This is important in establishing a chain of custody and authentication. The value in the report is that it can be submitted as defensible evidence in any type of investigation or legal proceeding.
Q. Does MyCyberScout collect the comments associated with YouTube videos that are captured?
A. If requested, for an additional fee, MyCyberScout will capture all associated comments along with the YouTube video content. The comment capture would encompass any comments made before the time of capture that have not been already deleted or altered by the commenting user.
Q. Is accessing this social media information legal?
A. Yes, accessing public information on social media sites is legal. However, if the collected information is used for certain purposes, such as hiring decisions, there may be requirements for notification by the user to the effected individual(s) under applicable Federal and State law. For information on the Fair Credit Reporting Act, go here. For more information on laws and regulations, visit the websites for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, and the Federal Trade Commission report on the FCRA and social media.