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KEEPING YOUR PERSONAL DATA SAFE DURING DIVORCE

| Nov 11, 2016 | Divorce, Electronic Evidence

During the course of the typical marriage, spouses share personal information and private data with one another openly. It is widely seen as a sign of trust between two people who have decided to share their lives together. But what happens if things don’t go exactly as planned and a divorce is on its way?

If you decided to share private data and information with your spouse but are now divorcing, you might have delivered them numerous ways to make your life much more difficult. In some cases, you may have even given them fodder to use against you in your divorce process in an attempt to take away your property or custody rights. The moment one of you files for divorce is the same moment you should start safeguarding your own personal info.

Five things you should do to keep personal data private are:

  1. Change your passwords: The importance of swapping out passwords as soon as possible cannot be stressed enough. As one of Rhode Island’s leading family law firms that utilizes the latest technology for electronic discovery methods, take it from our team at TJC • ESQ that passwords have to be changed. From social media accounts to bank accounts, make something new and original that your ex-spouse won’t be able to guess.
  2. Disable one-click shopping: Some websites actually don’t require you to log in to use some of their features. Specifically, many online retailers have a “one-click-to-buy” option these days that you can use so long as you have been there before on that computer or device. Make certain this is inaccessible or disabled after you change your password.
  3. Turn off geolocation: If your divorce has come about due to domestic violence or child sex abuse allegations, you have to make every available effort to protect yourself and your child. Disable geolocations and tracking for all of your phone’s applications unless they are absolutely necessary. Facebook, for example, will automatically add a geolocation to your posts if you haven’t turned it off, telling everyone in the world right where you are. Convenient, but maybe not the safest idea.
  4. Close joint accounts: Did you share any credit cards or bank accounts with your spouse? Head to the bank and close them down, or remove yourself from them if that is the only option. You don’t want to get tied up in their finances any longer, or have yours abused by them. You will also need to start building up your own credit score again, and it is better to start that sooner than later.
  5. Inform important parties: It may seem ideal to keep your divorce as private as possible, but there may be some important interested parties that should know about it. In particular, any professional organization that might not require passwords to access or divulge information. Tell these groups that you and your spouse are divorcing, and that your spouse no longer has privilege to know about your personal relationships or accounts.

Protecting your data and personal reputation after a divorce can be difficult if you don’t know all the ways they can be accessed or influenced by your ex-spouse. Team up with our Rhode Island divorce attorneys at TJC • ESQ, and we can help you figure out what needs to be done, why, and when. Contact us online for more information about our services.

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