I'm reaching out for help because my girlfriend is facing harassment from a private Instagram account. This person sent her a private video that was never shared publicly, and we suspect it's someone we know. The account registered with a real email, and we want to trace the IP address and gather any related metadata to identify them. The police are involved, and a subpoena to Meta is being processed, but it's taking too long. We're really worried that the account's data might be deleted before we can preserve it. I'm looking for guidance on several points: how to preserve data right away, if it's possible to trace the IP address of the account or messages, how we might speed up Meta's processing of the subpoena, and if there are any third-party tools or legal avenues we can use to trace this person.
1 Answer
First off, remember this isn't legal advice. To preserve data, don't touch anything or try to do data forensics yourself. It's crucial to leave that to professionals. As for tracing the IP address, unfortunately, that's not something you can do yourself; it typically requires cooperation from the platform involved. Regarding pushing Meta to speed up the subpoena, that's really in the hands of law enforcement. They can escalate matters, as neither you nor your girlfriend are officially part of the subpoena process, so they won’t be able to communicate as directly with Meta. Finally, about third-party tools, I would stick to law enforcement channels since they know how to navigate these situations best.
I hear you, but I think this advice is somewhat basic for your urgency. The main goal here is to ensure that the law enforcement process is effective and prompt, especially since data can be lost if not legally secured correctly.