Digital Security

Digital Security

During a divorce, it is crucial to untangle your digital life to protect your privacy and sensitive information. This involves securing all personal accounts and devices, including those you may have shared with your spouse. 

This is a checklist from internet sources to get you started. There is also an online resource designed for domestic violence survivors that may be more comprehensive. 

Before you begin

• Use a secure, uncompromised device. To change your passwords and settings, use a device that your spouse has never accessed. This could be a new device, one at a trusted friend's house, or a public library computer.

• Create a new, separate email account. Open a new email address that is not linked to your spouse for all confidential legal and financial communications.

• Gather important files. Back up all personal files, documents, and photos from shared cloud storage (iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox) to an external hard drive or a new, private cloud account. 

Secure your online accounts

• Change passwords for all personal accounts. Immediately update the passwords for every account, especially email, banking, social media, shopping sites like Amazon, and streaming services like Netflix.

• Update account recovery information. On your most critical accounts, like your primary email and Apple or Google ID, remove your spouse's phone number or email from the password recovery options.

• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA). Add an extra layer of security by requiring a second verification step for logins. Use an authenticator app for 2FA instead of SMS, if possible.

• Sign out of all devices. Go into your security settings for every major account (Apple, Google, Amazon, etc.) and use the "Sign out everywhere" or "Manage all devices" feature to log out of any device you no longer control.

• Audit shared accounts. Identify and close or separate all joint online memberships, such as cloud storage, online payments (PayPal, Venmo), and streaming services. 

Secure your personal devices

• Separate Apple or Google accounts. If you share an Apple ID or Google account, create new, individual ones for yourself. This will stop the syncing of data like location history, messages, and contacts.

• Disable location sharing. Go into your phone and app settings to disable location sharing. This includes apps like "Find My," Google Maps, and social media that may have location permissions enabled.

• Disable location embedding on your photos.

• Wipe shared electronics. For any shared computers or tablets, perform a factory reset to erase all saved passwords and personal data. Do not copy any files from the old device onto a new one.

• Check for spyware. If you suspect your devices were compromised, consult a digital security professional for an audit before wiping the device, as wiping may destroy evidence.

• Lock up devices. Set a strong passcode or enable biometric locks (fingerprint, face ID) on your personal phone, tablet, and computer to prevent unauthorized access. 

Secure your smart home and car

• Change smart device passwords. Update the administrator passwords on devices like your Wi-Fi router, smart speakers (Alexa, Nest), and thermostats.

• Unlink connected accounts. Remove your spouse's access from all smart home devices, cameras (Ring, Nest), and security systems.

• Reset smart devices. To be safe, perform a factory reset on smart devices and set them up again on a new, secure network.

• Protect your vehicle's tech. Delete saved addresses from your car's GPS and unlink your phone from the car's Bluetooth system. If your car has a manufacturer's app (e.g., OnStar, FordPass), change the password and remove your spouse's access. 

Social Media

• Stay off social media. This includes Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and anything else. Truly, your best bet is to delete entire accounts, but if you don't want to do that, at least consider going through and heavily deleting private messages and postings in those apps. If you wait to take these actions, you may get a letter that prevents you from doing so. You cannot resurrect what has already been deleted, so deleting before you get that letter gives you some safety.

• Unfriend or block your estranged spouse, their family, and his attorney / law firm.  

• Avoid posting about your divorce, location, or new relationships. You will need to continue this policy until you no longer have any custody, child support, or alimony. All posts can be used against you in legal proceedings.

• If you have posted reviews on Google Maps, Yahoo, Amazon ... delete them. These can track places you have been and who was with you.

• Do internet searches of yourself and delete, delete, delete.

• Recycle old devices responsibly. When disposing of old electronics, back up any important data and perform a factory reset. Then, take them to a professional recycling center or a manufacturer take-back program to ensure your personal data is permanently wiped.