One in four admit snooping on ex’s accounts

A breakup is rarely a pleasant affair and could be even more miserable if it leaves one’s digital life vulnerable to unauthorized access from an ex – turning trust into a digital threat.

Most people who shared their passwords or devices with their ex while in a relationship later regretted it, according to a new survey from Certo Software, a cybersecurity firm. Over half of respondents said they shouldn’t have, and for good reason.

Forty-two percent of respondents said their ex had accessed their accounts without their permission after a breakup, the survey showed. Nearly one in four admitted that they attempted to do so, adding a troubling new layer to a modern breakup.

"Breakups no longer just end relationships; they expose people to significant digital risks,” said Simon Lewis, co-founder of Certo Software.

The survey found that social media, email accounts, and location-sharing apps are the most frequent types of data left accessible to former partners – shedding light on what cybersecurity experts say is a little-discussed but “alarming” digital security trend.

“Our research highlights how common it is for people to neglect securing their online lives after a breakup, leaving them open to unauthorized access, emotional distress, and even potential tracking," Lewis said.

Parents appear to be more aware of potential threats and are 25% more likely to consider their digital security post-breakup than others, according to the survey.

However, almost half of the participants said they failed to check if location-sharing features were still active after a breakup. Fifty-six percent said that post-breakup digital privacy concerns caused them emotional distress and mental health issues.

Most seemed to have learned their lesson, with 68% saying they would never share passwords in a new relationship.

The survey polled 1,000 respondents in the US aged 25 to 55 who had experienced a breakup in the past decade.

Cybersecurity experts advise reviewing digital privacy after a breakup by changing passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, disabling location sharing, and revoking shared account permissions to prevent unauthorized access.

"Breakups are messy enough without the added worry of digital vulnerabilities," Lewis said.