I’m seeking a licensed Private Investigator with a former law enforcement background and strong digital investigations experience to investigate and document an ongoing online defamation/harassment campaign across YouTube and TikTok. The goal is to identify responsible parties using lawful investigative methods, preserve admissible evidence, and support potential civil/legal action.
Key Responsibilities
Evidence preservation (for court use):
Capture/archival of videos, comments, captions, livestreams, and profiles using forensically sound methods (screenshots + screen recording + URL/time stamps).
Build a clear chain-of-custody log and evidence index.
OSINT + attribution work (lawful):
Link analysis across handles/usernames/emails (where publicly available), bios, link-in-bio pages, cashapp/venmo tags, merch/storefronts, domains, and cross-platform reuse.
Metadata/consistency analysis of publicly available content (posting patterns, speech cues, visual identifiers, locations when openly shown).
Network mapping: associated accounts, collaborators, reposts, comment brigades.
Platform reporting support:
Prepare well-documented reports suitable for YouTube/TikTok complaint channels (impersonation/harassment/defamation policy routes).
Attorney coordination (if needed):
Package findings for counsel to pursue subpoenas/court orders (e.g., preservation requests, discovery targets, and specific identifiers/URLs).
Provide declarations/affidavits and testify if necessary.
What You Will NOT Be Asked To Do
No hacking, password guessing, illegal access, “data pulls,” or purchasing restricted data.
All work must comply with applicable law, platform policies, and professional PI standards.
Required Qualifications
Current PI license in your jurisdiction (or ability to work with/under a properly licensed entity where required).
Former law enforcement background (detective/investigations strongly preferred).
Demonstrated experience in OSINT / online attribution / harassment investigations.
Strong documentation skills (reports that hold up under scrutiny).
Familiarity with evidence standards and maintaining chain of custody.
Preferred
Prior work supporting civil litigation (defamation/harassment/stalking).
Experience drafting preservation letters, subpoenas support packets, and investigator declarations.
Knowledge of YouTube/TikTok enforcement workflows and evidence capture best practices.
Deliverables
Weekly status update + investigation log
Evidence folder with index (URLs, timestamps, captures)
Attribution report (confidence levels, supporting links, alternative hypotheses)
Litigation-ready summary for attorney review (if escalated)