Facebook ?fair game? in benefits cheats battle

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The Local, Sweden
20 Jun, 2011

Sweden?s social services have been given the green light to use information found on Facebook and other social media sites to verify whether or not Swedes are being truthful on their applications for benefits.

The ruling from the social committee at the National Board of Health and Welfare?s (Socialstyrelsen) council for ethical issues, means that civil servants tasked with reviewing applicants? suitability to receive benefits are free to compare claims made on application forms to how individuals present themselves online.

?Social services must adapt to the growing number of people using Facebook and similar social media sites to communicate,? wrote the committee in its report.

The health board?s ethical committee looked into the issue after a dilemma arose during a social work student?s internship.

The student was surprised to learn that benefits administrators were inspecting their clients? profiles on Facebook and on their blogs, and alerted the ethics committee to the controversial practice.

The information found online was used to verify if the clients had been honest about whether or not they were single, for example, and whether they truly were entitled to benefits they had applied to receive.

In the wake of the committee?s ruling, information from Facebook and other sources can now be used during the processing of benefits claims. Read more?

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