Welcome back! In this series on divorce tech, we’re looking at the most common tech issues you need to keep in mind when you and your spouse decide to call it quits. So far we’ve talked about shutting down joint online accounts, separating your phone’s family plan, saving copies of information from joint cloud storage, and also shutting down a joint email account (if you have one.)
Moving on, we’re going to look at another couple of things that crop up regularly during divorces these days – GPS and your social media accounts. So, in other words, where you went and what you said!
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GPS: Tattle Tale Technology
If you and your spouse are going separate ways, the last thing you need is a constant stream of updates about their location. And they certainly don’t need to know where you are at all times, and when.
Location sharing accounts can be a lot of fun, and also a good way to keep an eye on where your kids are when you’re not with them. Apps like Foursquare’s Swarm, Glympse, and Life360 (to name but a few) are a great way to find your friends, let family members know where you are, and be available to the people who matter most in life. But chances are, your soon-to-be-ex is no longer going to be one of those people.
So you will either need to uninstall all of your location sharing apps, or simply use whatever system the app provides for blocking specific people. Not all location sharing apps offer you the chance to block individuals, and so you need to pay close attention to settings and other criteria.
Additionally, shut down any location sharing settings on Facebook and Twitter, and stop “checking in” with Foursquare. Another thing to consider would be apps you may have installed to help you locate your device when it’s lost or stolen. Changing the password on your Find My iPhone app, or Android Device Manager, could save you a lot of grief later on. (Also, make sure Alexa doesn’t tattle on you by unsyncing your phone with Amazon!)
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Social Media: Silence is Golden
This is a big one! Most people know that chatting about your divorce on social media is a big no-no, and yet believe it or not, people still succumb to the temptation! And the results can be disastrous! The best thing you can do for yourself is to operate under the assumption that every single word you type, and picture you post, (or that others post of you), will be examined by your spouse’s divorce attorney and shown to the Judge!
Don’t be fooled though – this may lead you to believe that the best thing you can do is say nice things about your spouse on social media. Also wrong! In truth, that there is only one thing to say about your spouse on social media: NOTHING!
Do not discuss your divorce, your spouse, how you feel about them, or their choices and actions. Do not discuss your hopes and dreams for your pending future, or what you wish would take place in the custody agreement. Say nothing! At all. About any of it. We cannot stress this enough! Remember, silence really is golden!
Do you need help from a skilled Michigan divorce attorney?
Join us next time for the next installment in this series – you won’t be sorry, we promise! Until then, however, if you or a loved one need help with your divorce, or any other family law issues, call The Kronzek Firm at 866 766 5245 to speak with a highly skilled family law attorney right now. We can help you 24/7 with your divorce, custody concerns, asset division, and even personal protection orders.