iClouded Judgment

Cloud-based software, such as iCloud from Apple, has made sharing information like pictures, text messages, and communication a breeze. Families often link accounts to share music, pictures, and other media. Apple explains, “Set up iCloud on all your devices. The rest is automatic.”  And when Apple says everything, it means everything.  Lately, iCloud has provided a new way for spouses to learn about infidelity–when it pops up automatically on their screens.

Monique Honaman, a writer at the Huffington post, recently brought up some of the issues that accompany the automatic sharing of all of the data on your phone.  In a column titled “iCaught on iCloud,” the author posts stories of people who found out about infidelity on iCloud.

iCaught on iCloud: One woman suddenly found photos that she didn’t have any interest in seeing of her husband with another woman show up in her iPhoto account. So much for having to connect and download to have photos save to your laptop!

iCaught on iCloud: One man found text messages that his wife was sending to another man. Gone are the days where text messages only showed up on phones. We can now sync with our phone numbers and our emails and “text” from any device. Suddenly, her private texts sent from her phone, were showing up in iMessage on their home desktop computer.

iCaught on iCloud: Another woman started to receive calendar updates with flight information for a business trip her husband was taking … with his secretary (how cliché!). That family calendar option was a great idea … in theory … but when your reservation confirmation information automatically downloads and populates the calendar, it can prove to be dangerous.

Spouses who use iCloud or another web-based service to back up a phone to a laptop or other device may do so without remembering that the account is linked to a shared family iTunes account. If a spouse has the password, he or she might be able to log in to an iCloud account from any computer, iPad, or phone, to access emails, texts, pictures, and calendars that have been stored on iCloud. However, accessing this information on iCloud is not without its consequences. If not done legally, snooping on iCloud could be an invasion of privacy that has consequences under Texas and Federal Wiretapping laws.

To learn more about technology traps that divorcing people fall into, or if you have questions about divorce, please do not hesitate to contact our law firm at 214-692-8200.