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Don't Leave the Blackberry Lying Around

Spouses parse through private email in search of infidelities

By Kate Schwartz,  Newser User

Posted Sep 15, 2007 2:37 PM CDT
Email

(Newser) – Governments and corporations aren’t the only ones parsing through private emails, the New York Times reports: The culprit is just as likely to be a spouse hunting for proof of infidelity. One divorce lawyer says that electronic evidence plays a role “in just about every case now.” As long as it’s from a shared computer, or passwords have been exchanged, it can be legal to steal a loved one’s private missives.

One spouse admits to feeling guilty about spying; another felt violated when she found a GPS tracker on the family car. But Lawyers warn that privacy is an old-fashioned concept in the digital age. Every keystroke entered on a computer can be dug up in divorce court: “The only thing you can truly erase these things with is a specialty Smith & Wesson product,” a lawyer says.

The Palm Foleo mobile companion has a large screen and full-size keyboard with which to view and edit email and office documents residing on a smartphone. Edits made on Foleo automatically are reflected on its paired smartphone and vice versa. Foleo and its paired smartphone stay synchronized throughout the day...
The Palm Foleo mobile companion has a large screen and full-size keyboard with which to view and edit email and office documents residing on a smartphone. Edits made on Foleo automatically are reflected...   (Associated Press)
A BlackBerry user checks his screen in Washington, Wednesday, April 18, 2007. BlackBerry service was being restored Wednesday morning after an overnight outage that left millions of users without mobile access to their e-mail on the popular device. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
A BlackBerry user checks his screen in Washington, Wednesday, April 18, 2007. BlackBerry service was being restored Wednesday morning after an overnight outage that left millions of users without mobile...   (Associated Press)
People save up all that anger. When they're exploding the first two weeks in January or September, it's a bonanza for divorce lawyers.
"People save up all that anger. When they're exploding the first two weeks in January or September, it's a bonanza for divorce lawyers."   (Shutterstock.com)
People save up all that anger. When they're exploding the first two weeks in January or September, it's a bonanza for divorce lawyers.
"People save up all that anger. When they're exploding the first two weeks in January or September, it's a bonanza for divorce lawyers."   (Shutterstock.com)
Britney Spears, holding her dog Bit Bit, and husband Kevin Federline, walk the red carpet during the 2004 Billboard Music Awards in this Dec. 8, 2004, file photo taken in Las Vegas. The couple reached a settlement in their divorce Thursday, March 29, 2007 a spokesman for Federline's attorney said....
Britney Spears, holding her dog Bit Bit, and husband Kevin Federline, walk the red carpet during the 2004 Billboard Music Awards in this Dec. 8, 2004, file photo taken in Las Vegas. The couple reached...   (Associated Press)
It's a shame that they had to go through all of this, said Jonathan McGirt, a lawyer who represented Valerie Burrell, John Burrell's third wife.
"It's a shame that they had to go through all of this," said Jonathan McGirt, a lawyer who represented Valerie Burrell, John Burrell's third wife.   (Shutterstock.com)
  (Shutter Stock)
Let's Get a Divorce
Let's Get a Divorce   ((c) Monochrome)
In this Friday, April 27, 2007, file photograph, former Gov. James McGreevey, left, and his wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, second from right, stand with their attorneys in Superior Court in Elizabeth, N.J. The McGreeveys were in court for motions in their divorce case. Dina Matos McGreevey, the estranged wife...
In this Friday, April 27, 2007, file photograph, former Gov. James McGreevey, left, and his wife, Dina Matos McGreevey, second from right, stand with their attorneys in Superior Court in Elizabeth, N.J....   (Associated Press)
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, points to an email during his questioning of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the U.S. Capitol in Washington Thursday, April 19, 2007 about the controversial dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, points to an email during his questioning of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the U.S. Capitol in Washington Thursday, April 19, 2007...   (Associated Press)
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