People do strange things when they’re going through a divorce – and you cannot trust your spouse not to spy on you through your phone, laptop or other digital devices.
Sometimes, a spouse who is nursing their wounded ego just wants to know what sort of life you are building (and with whom) without them. Other times, they may try to sabotage their spouse’s relationships with others or ruin your reputation with a well-timed email (allegedly from you) to your boss or co-workers.
Either way, you need to take steps to protect your digital privacy during a divorce. Here are a few key tips:
1. Check your phone and laptop for spyware.
You probably haven’t locked your phone or laptop away every time you went to the bathroom or took a shower – and it only takes seconds for a savvy spouse to install some spyware that can track every keystroke, call and email.
Before you take any other action, check your phone for spyware. If you find any, you can decide whether to confront your spouse, quietly scrub the phone or just get a new device so that they’re unaware you’re onto them. You need to repeat these steps with your laptop, tablet and other electronic devices.
2. Get a new email account and immediately start using it.
Set up a new email account and only retain your old one for communicating with your spouse about the divorce and other essentials. Do not provide your spouse with the new email address.
As soon as you have the new email established, update your boss, coworkers and clients. Then, make sure that you update all of your online profiles, from professional sites like LinkedIn to shopping sites like Amazon. That will minimize the chances that your spouse will be able to “break into” your accounts anywhere.
3. Enable additional security on all your devices and accounts.
You cannot be too cautious right now. Change all of your passwords on your social media accounts, online banking, credit cards, gaming accounts and other digital accounts, no matter how trivial they may seem – and make sure that the new passwords are not something your spouse can guess.
In addition, consider adding two-factor identification to as many of your online accounts as possible, and secure your laptop and phone with fingerprint or facial recognition software.
Going through a divorce is a lot easier when you have guidance from someone who understands the steps you need to take to protect your future. Legal guidance can help.