Digital Divorce

Your digital footprint and online security may not be the first thing which springs to mind when a relationship breaks down but perhaps it is something which you should be considering.

Increasingly family solicitors are advising their clients to take this aspect of a separation into account. With a tangle of accounts often shared between couples from Apple IDs to email addresses and social media accounts, sensitive information is sometime not as private as you may wish.

Rachel Macwilliam, Family Law Solicitor at Penderlaw, gives some top tips below to help you protect yourself online.

Passwords
Many people share passwords with their significant other and assume that their ex will not stoop to sneaking a look at their inbox, or worse, posting or sending damaging material. Sadly, their optimism is often misplaced.
Whilst it would be best to change all passwords, the first one to change should be your email — when you change or reset other passwords, the link is usually sent to your email account, and that is no use if your other half still has access to this. In addition, your ex will probably know the answers to your usual security questions, so these should also be changed wherever possible.
In sync digitally if not otherwise?
Couples or families often have synced devices, this is especially common with Apple products. This can have repercussions in a relationship breakdown situation with information being unintentionally shared. You might discover that you share an Apple ID or iCloud account. Sharing these can again give your ex-partner access to emails, messages, photos, or locational data without you even knowing about it. A thorough review of all your online accounts is sensible at the end of a relationship.
Digital spying
It’s not a good idea to view your ex’s emails or texts. It is a crime under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and could result in a prison sentence or a fine. Definitely not worth the risk, however tempted you are!

If you’d like to contact Rachel about any issues regarding Family Law, please get in touch by emailing rm@penderlaw.co.uk or call 01872 241408.