Private Profile Handling allows OWL to identify and manage private social-media accounts returned by supported Social Media products, including Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, VK, and Facebook.
When OWL identifies a private account, it displays a Private indicator in Link Analysis and Tabular View. This helps users understand that some profile information is not publicly available.
Users can continue investigating by using available information and eligible Pivot Searches. However, Additional Searches that require information from the private profile are restricted.
What Private Account Detection Does
Private Account Detection helps users:
- Identify Private Profiles: Detects when a social media account is configured as private.
- Display Privacy Status: Shows a Private indicator in Link Analysis and Tabular View.
- Restrict Additional Searches: Avoid unnecessary Additional Searches that rely on restricted profile information.
- Allow Pivot Searches: Allows users to continue investigating through available information and related entities.
- Consistent Experience: Applies the same private-profile behavior across supported social media products.
Why This Is Useful
During social media investigations, users may encounter private accounts where certain profile information is not publicly accessible. Without a clear indication of the account's privacy status, users may perform repeated searches and interpret the lack of results as a system issue.
OWL addresses this by clearly identifying private accounts and displaying their status in Link Analysis and Tabular View. Once an account is identified as private, unsupported additional searches are restricted, while pivot searches remain available. This provides users with clear visibility into the account's accessibility and helps them continue their investigation using relevant information that is available.
This helps organizations across multiple industries to...
- Support fraud investigations: Identify private social media accounts associated with claimants, subjects, or other relevant entities.
- Improve investigative efficiency: Prevent unnecessary or unsuccessful searches against private accounts while allowing users to perform pivot searches.
- Support digital investigations: Clearly distinguish private social media accounts from publicly accessible accounts during investigative analysis.
- Maintain investigation context: Display the private-account status in Link Analysis and Tabular View to help users understand the account and its relationship to other entities.
View Private Account Details
Perform a Social Media search, such as an Instagram search, for the relevant identifier.
Link Analysis View
Displays the private social media account and its available information as a node.
- Select the private account node in the Link Analysis view.
- The Private indicator appears next to the account name.
- Hover over the node and select the Spyglass icon to view available actions.
- OWL displays the warning: “Private Account – Additional Searches Likely to Return No Results.”
- Use eligible Pivot Searches to continue investigating with available information.
The Private indicator and warning message help users understand the account's privacy status and avoid unnecessary searches.
Tabular View
Displays the private social media account and its available details in a structured table, with a Private indicator next to the account name.
- Locate the private account in Tabular View, the Private indicator appears next to the account name.
- Select the Spyglass icon to view available actions.
- OWL displays the warning: “Private Account – Additional Searches Likely to Return No Results.”
- Users can still select and perform additional searches; however, no results will be loaded or returned when the requested information is not publicly accessible.
- Users can continue to perform pivot searches using available information or related entities.
Note: A private account restricts access to non-public information. It does not prevent users from reviewing available account details or using eligible Pivot Searches.