PROTECTING YOUR ELECTRONIC IDENTITY DURING DIVORCE

July 29th, 2018

By: JAMES NELSON and HEATHER ROONEY MCBRIDE

Protecting your digital assets might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you are ending a marriage, but it is an important consideration for divorcing parties. Many online accounts are now linked between spouses’ devices, and sensitive material is often not secure.
1. Be careful when allowing a child to use your devices.
Children often use a parent’s account to access websites and apps. When children use different devices, they may use the account information of one spouse on the other spouse’s device. Know what your kids are doing when they use your electronics.
2. Change your password.
Adults often share passwords with their spouses but assume that the contents of the account will be respected as confidential. The most important password to change is that of your email account. In addition, your spouse will likely know the answer to your usual security questions, so these should also be changed. You should change all passwords for accounts, including but not limited to your voice mail, where you will or could receive confidential and//or privileged information.
3. Don’t be the bad actor.
DO NOT access your spouse’s emails — tampering with computer data is a crime in the State of Missouri. Rev. Mo. Stat. §569.095 (2018).
4. Stop syncing your devices and accounts.
Apple devices are often synced together so the user can access information from various devices. This can cause problems when you are separated or contemplating divorce, during which time you will likely receive and engage in communications that you prefer to keep confidential. You might also share a Google Cloud, Apple ID or iCloud account. Again, sharing these can give your spouse access to emails, messages, photos, or locational data without you even knowing about it, so change the password. You should also cancel or disable your credit cards, as your spouse could be charging money to a joint or linked credit card account.
If you or a loved one needs advice concerning a separation or divorce, contact our family law attorneys at Rooney McBride & Smith, LLC today.