Technological Tools and Hurdles in Divorce Cases
Technology is changing the way that people divorce. In the old days, if you suspected your spouse of being unfaithful, you would hire a private investigator, who would follow your spouse to see exactly what he/she was up to.
Today, there are many options available to those who suspect their spouse may be cheating. For instance, The New York Times published an article that looked at digital evidence, such as email messages, history of Web site visits, and cellular telephone records. Better private investigators now frequently use GPS tracking systems to gain information to aid in their surveillance.
Parties sometimes even use somewhat "questionable" methods of obtaining information about their spouses' activities, such as hacking into email accounts, loading spy software onto computers, and/or placing recording devices on phone lines. I should point out that these types of methods could result in liability for criminal prosecution and should therefore be avoided.
In my practice, I have noticed that cheating spouses will often take steps to attempt to cover their tracks. For instance, they may clear their call histories on their cellular phones, delete their internet history, delete emails from both their inbox and trash folders, and/or change their passwords on various accounts.
Resourceful attorneys can issue subpoenas to obtain the opposing party's cellular telephone records, credit card records, and even bank account records to help uncover an unfaithful spouse's activities. I regularly discuss these types of issues with my clients in certain types of cases, and these methods can yield fruitful results.
If you want more information on this topic, you should read "Tell-All PCs and Phones Transforming Divorce" by Brad Stone, published in The New York Times. As mentioned above, this article gives several real world examples of how parties and attorneys are dealing with these evolving technology issues in divorce cases.
Today, there are many options available to those who suspect their spouse may be cheating. For instance, The New York Times published an article that looked at digital evidence, such as email messages, history of Web site visits, and cellular telephone records. Better private investigators now frequently use GPS tracking systems to gain information to aid in their surveillance.
Parties sometimes even use somewhat "questionable" methods of obtaining information about their spouses' activities, such as hacking into email accounts, loading spy software onto computers, and/or placing recording devices on phone lines. I should point out that these types of methods could result in liability for criminal prosecution and should therefore be avoided.
In my practice, I have noticed that cheating spouses will often take steps to attempt to cover their tracks. For instance, they may clear their call histories on their cellular phones, delete their internet history, delete emails from both their inbox and trash folders, and/or change their passwords on various accounts.
Resourceful attorneys can issue subpoenas to obtain the opposing party's cellular telephone records, credit card records, and even bank account records to help uncover an unfaithful spouse's activities. I regularly discuss these types of issues with my clients in certain types of cases, and these methods can yield fruitful results.
If you want more information on this topic, you should read "Tell-All PCs and Phones Transforming Divorce" by Brad Stone, published in The New York Times. As mentioned above, this article gives several real world examples of how parties and attorneys are dealing with these evolving technology issues in divorce cases.
