How Can I Stop My Spouse Spying on Me In Our Divorce?

It’s frighteningly common for unscrupulous exes to attempt to spy on their spouses during the divorce process and even after their divorces are final. The reasons for this behavior are many and may include trying to obtain evidence they can use to stop you from getting alimony or to prove to the court that you are an unfit parent and they should be awarded custody. In some cases, it’s simply a control issue.

In New York, it’s against the law to record audio, but video is fair game, which means there’s nothing stopping your ex from watching you or recording you until it becomes criminal stalking. Here are some actions you can take to discourage or stop your spouse from surveilling you and how a veteran Long Island divorce lawyer can help protect you and your family.

Remove Access to Shared Accounts With Your Spouse

One of the first things you should do after deciding to get a divorce is to remove your spouse’s access to any shared accounts that you control.

The first account you should do this with is your bank account. Before announcing that you want to get a divorce, you should open your own checking account and withdraw your name and information from the joint checking account you share with your spouse. Ideally, you will be able to save some money to put in your new checking account before telling your spouse that you want to leave in the event of an emergency.

In addition to your personal bank accounts, these can include things like email, video streaming services, iCloud accounts, etc. Also consider deleting or changing your password to something more secure on things like your social media profiles.

Alternatively, you may decide to leave the shared account if your spouse controls it or if you have no stake in the account and would prefer to create a new one later if you so choose.

Unshare Your Location on Mobile Devices & In Apps

Many devices and apps automatically share your location or have sneaky terms and conditions that give apps the authority to obtain and share your location data. Snapchat is a good example of a social media application that uses your GPS data to place your avatar in the correct location on the app’s map. By simply logging into the program, your ex could easily see where you are and track your movement.

You should go through your installed applications and unshare your location on each to prevent your GPS data from being broadcast to anyone who may be able to access your information.

Reset Your Phone or Purchase a New One

If your spouse has installed tracking software on your cell phone, you may unknowingly be transmitting all of your private data to your ex. Sophisticated spy software is often very difficult to detect and it’s possible that you might never know that your ex is spying on you using your own phone.

It’s a good rule of thumb to factory reset your phone when you decide to get a divorce, or better yet, purchase a new phone that your spouse has never had access to. This way, you can be absolutely certain your ex has not had the opportunity to tamper with your device.

Check Your Vehicle & Electronics for Tracking Devices

GPS trackers are inexpensive and relatively easy to purchase and install on the device or vehicle you want to track. Apple AirTags are the most popular and are a small, flat “tag” that can be used to track a set of keys, a remote control, a pet, a wallet, and anything else on which you can put a sticker the size of a half-dollar.

You can download a tracker detection app on your smartphone to check for the radio signals emitted by these kinds of devices, but these aren’t always 100% reliable. One of the best ways to check your vehicle, electronics, bags, and other items that are likely to be tracked is the old-fashioned way. Look behind your license plate, under your wheel well, in between your phone case and cell phone, in your gym bag, and anywhere else you think your spouse may have hidden a GPS tracking device.

Is Your Spouse Spying On You? Call a Long Island Divorce Lawyer Today

If you think your spouse may be spying on you, it’s important that you take steps to protect yourself and your family. Contact Hornberger Verbitsky, P.C. today to learn more about how to stop your ex from spying on you by calling 631-923-1910 or fill in the short form on this page to schedule a complimentary consultation and case evaluation.