Most of us live fully digital lives these days — we bank online, pay bills online, keep up with friends and family online, and more. And if we’re married, we may share digital devices as well. So when divorce enters the picture, it’s not unusual to become concerned about how those digital devices and data could potentially become weaponized and used against us, especially if there is a vindictive ex in the picture.
If you’re going through a divorce, here are some technology changes you need to make to protect yourself:
Change passwords and accounts.
Once you’ve made the decision to divorce, you should change passwords on all the accounts you plan to keep solo. This will head off any potential damage your ex could do. List the accounts you will be keeping for which you’ve shared passwords and then change those passwords using a strong random password generator tool. Do NOT keep passwords on your computer or written down; use an online tool like LastPass to store your passwords.
Wipe shared devices clean.
Before you divvy up your shared digital devices, back up the data you need to keep and then factory reset the device.
Separate social media accounts.
It is not unusual for married couples to share social media accounts. If you have shared social media profiles with your ex, it’s time to close those accounts and create private profiles in your own name. To keep your ex (or anyone else) from spying on you online, be sure all your social media privacy settings are up to date.
Use a co-parenting app.
Co-parenting can be hard enough without changes in schedules and other daily details falling through the cracks, leading to unnecessary conflict. Apps like CoParenter make it easier to keep track of everyone’s schedules so misunderstandings can be avoided. In addition, several of these apps have the capability to collect data, including all communication between you and your ex that can be used in court if necessary.
Protecting your interests and achieving results that support your needs is what you can expect from Cistaro Law. Contact us today for your free consultation.