Divorce has changed. The technological advancements of the 21st Century have given rise to a series of powerful new tools for divorcing spouses to employ. But just as divorce has been made easier through the use of electronic banking and digital discovery, so, too, have new ways come about in which divorcing spouses could make their case much more difficult.
Much of this new difficulty comes from digital media.
Digital Media & Your Divorce
Divorce is never easy, and that goes doubly so now that we have the Internet to record both the good and the bad of your divorce case. Limiting your online presence is one key to structuring your own divorce narrative and protecting yourself in the case of contentious divorce. With this in mind, here are some tips to reduce your digital footprint.
- Put down the smartphone and stay off your email. Written communications between you and your spouse have a nasty habit of showing up in divorce proceedings. Only use emails and texts for their intended purpose ”“ succinct messages that are pertinent to the subject at hand. Don’t go on lengthy rants to your ex about how terrible a person they are, and don’t apologize for being a terrible person yourself. It’s divorce ”“ feelings are high, but admit no faults and accuse your spouse of none. Say what needs to be said, no more, no less. (And don’t rant on Facebook.)
- Change those passwords. Marriage is very much a shared thing, so it might be a fact that you and your spouse shared passwords to each other’s online accounts. Shut that down ASAP. Computer passwords, phone logins, email logins, your social media accounts and bank accounts should all get new passwords. It’s inconvenient but necessary.
- You might consider deleting your accounts. Don’t! It’s a pretty suspicious move. The court may see it as destruction, or spoliation, of evidence. If you wish to keep your social media private, you can temporarily disable your accounts or buff up your privacy settings.
The popular adage, while somewhat hyperbolic, stands (mostly) true: Lawyer up. Hit the gym. (Don’t) Delete Facebook.
Our Denver divorce lawyers are skilled in the process of electronic discovery and can use it to fight for your best interests in divorce.