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Should you worry about digital spying during your divorce?

On Behalf of | Nov 6, 2020 | Divorce |

There are many things that might worry you as you embark on a divorce, but did you ever consider your soon-to-be former spouse might spy on you? With today’s technology, it is so simple for anyone to spy on another person using digital means. 

NPR explains that digital spying is becoming common in divorces, and in some cases, it is completely legal. 

Legal situations

Your spouse could put a GPS on your vehicle to track where you go, and it would be completely legal as long as you both own the vehicle. His attorney could then use that information against you. For example, if you are in a heated custody battle and he is trying to prove that you leave the children with a sitter too much, he might track where you are and when you are away from home to gather evidence for his case. 

The worst part is that GPS trackers are incredibly small. You likely would never even know it was on your vehicle. This is especially upsetting if you are in a domestic violence situation. 

Illegal

Your spouse cannot use digital spy tools when it does not involve joint property. So, putting a tracking app on your cell phone would not be legal. However, the laws about this are not very clear. There are a lot of gray areas, so it is possible for the judge in your case to rule something is legal even when it seems it should not be. In general, though, putting tracking apps or software on computers or cell phones without the owner’s permission is illegal. 

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