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Old posts, likes and comments that cost the job

Found Later is our collection of 127 real, published news cases. Old posts, likes and comments keep turning up right after the big moment: the hire, the promotion, the swearing-in.

Scan yours first Every case links to its news source. Names left out on purpose: this could be anyone.

Compiled by Dave Fradette · Updated October 20, 2026 · A curated collection of reported cases, not a representative study or an estimate of anyone’s risk. The 127 cases cover at least 183 people.

How it surfaces

What the content was about

Themes as the outlet or employer described the content. A case can have more than one, so the counts add up to more than 127; 9 fit none of these themes or were not described clearly enough to place. This shows what is in this collection, not how often each kind of post costs a job.

In a PruneSocial report, race, religion and sex or gender content is filed under Intolerance or Sex, and violence or threats under Violence or Threats. Political and news-event commentary and workplace criticism usually appear in the separate reputation-flags list instead. That describes how the report sorts content, not whether it would have caught these cases.

Where it happened

Cases by field. Pick one to see its cases.

Guides for your field: Running for office Teachers and principals Principals Healthcare Police Fire, EMS and military Finance Executives Tech and corporate Law Students and new grads

Browse the full cases by group

All cases

Questions

Should I just delete everything?

Deleting doesn't undo screenshots that already exist, and mass deleting can become its own story. Review first, then decide what to keep, hide or remove. Public officials should check public-records rules before deleting. If you're in a lawsuit or a custody case, don't delete anything: talk to your lawyer first.

Can you see my group chats?

No. PruneSocial reads only the account exports you upload. A few cases here involve private chats because it happens: anything you send can be screenshotted.

Does the scan read memes, photos and videos?

No. It scores the text in your account exports and doesn't read images yet, so a meme, screenshot, photo or video needs a look by hand. Cards tagged "check by hand" are the kind of content to look through yourself.

How are cases counted?

Each card is one reported case, not one person: the 127 cases cover at least 183 people because some involve groups. A case counts as lost the role when the latest outcome in its sources is that the person was out of the job, seat, admission, offer or contract the content put at risk, even if they stayed elsewhere in the organization. If they were reinstated to the same role it counts as kept or regained: 5 cases began with a loss and ended that way. Discipline that left the person in place counts as kept, and a later job elsewhere does not count as getting the role back. Of the 113 cases that ended in a loss: 52 were fired, removed or discharged; 31 resigned or stepped down; 11 had an offer, admission, appointment or scholarship rescinded; 8 withdrew or were asked to step aside; 1 was suspended; 1 was a group case with mixed results; and 9 ended another way or the source did not say which. Content age is measured when the content was found, not at a later hearing or ruling, and cases that do not state an age are left out of that count.

Is this a study of how likely I am to lose a job?

No. It is a curated collection of cases that made the news, kept because an outlet reported a specific post and a specific outcome. It is not a representative sample, so it cannot tell you how often posts lead to job loss; the high share of lost roles partly reflects which cases get reported. PruneSocial checks only the text in your own account exports (posts, comments and likes). 78 of these 127 cases involved that kind of content. The rest involved images, video, photos or private chats, which you check by hand, and some involved material no export would hold. That does not mean a scan would have caught or prevented any of these cases, and a clean scan cannot tell you what an employer will do.

Why no names?

Fame isn't the point. Most people here weren't known outside their town until their posts were found. Each case links to its source.

Is this legal advice?

No. PruneSocial shows you what a screener could see. It isn't legal, employment or immigration advice.

Spotted an error, or want a case reviewed or removed? Email hello@prunesocial.com. We act on corrections within a week. Characterizations in each case are the outlet’s or employer’s, as linked.

See what they’ll see. Fix it before it’s found.

PruneSocial scores the text in your own account exports, including likes and comments, against published screening categories and gives you one cleanup action for anything flagged. It also lists political, news-event and workplace commentary separately as reputation flags. Try a free 50-item preview.

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