Keep Electronic Communications Safe From Prying Eyes in a Divorce

Engaging with social media is a popular pastime, but it could become a problem when someone is going through a divorce. Electronic communications, whether texts, tweets, Facebook posts or emails, cannot be erased and should never be considered secure. They can fuel emotions that lead to divorce, and they can also drastically alter the financial settlement of a divorce.

A husband who is considering filing for divorce may instruct his lawyer to begin delving into his wife’s electronic footprints long before he actually files. When the divorce proceedings begin, however, the attorney will definitely look into those accounts. There is little a woman can do to control the damage; the knee-jerk reaction of deleting all her posts may give the impression of guilt. Besides, it is virtually impossible to completely get rid of them.

There are a few steps a woman in a divorce proceeding can take to protect herself. First, it is important that she limits communication through electronic means. While some people are tempted to vent their emotions on Facebook or brag about a new relationships, it is highly dangerous to do so. In addition, posts about buying new cars or taking expensive vacations could throw a negative light on the wife’s use of the couple’s finances.

It is also crucial for a woman facing divorce to change all account passwords and security questions. Women should do this carefully as the phrases should be something their husbands cannot guess. Furthermore, a wife should change the security settings on her various profiles to restrict who sees her information. The husband may still be able to access the information through mutual friends’ accounts, but changing the settings will make the wife less vulnerable. Women who are going through a divorce should also change the way their phones or tablets may sync with other devices.

Laws that determine how information may be obtained and what is admissible in court vary from state to state. Divorce attorneys can give crucial advice about what information may be used and how women can handle electronic information to protect themselves from an invasion of electronic privacy in their divorce cases.