Digital break-up

Digital break-up: Guide to safeguarding your privacy

When you break up, a digital connection to your ex-partner often remains. These connections can lead to them continuing to receive information about your life. It is important to sever these connections to protect your privacy.

If you are concerned about possible violence, seek help from a counseling center or contact the police in an emergency.

Digital break-up checklist

• List technical aspects: cell phones, laptops, tablets and smart devices (e.g. smart TVs, security cameras).
• Identify user accounts: Social media, email addresses and other services.
• Check whether passwords can be easily guessed.
• Shared accounts and devices: Log out of shared accounts and change passwords for devices such as baby cams.
• Delete browser passwords: Write down passwords before you delete them and avoid saving them in the browser.
• Check security and privacy settings: Change easily guessable PINs or swipe patterns and check for suspicious apps.
• Customize location settings: Disable location transfers in apps and turn off “Find my device”.
• Check social media: Block or remove your ex-partner from friend lists and make sure your posts are not public.
• Secure email and cloud accounts: Change passwords and check who has access to your backups.
• Children and their devices: Repeat the steps for your children’s devices.

Additional user accounts

• Check frequently used accounts such as: Media: Amazon, Netflix, Disney+ Games: Discord, Steam, Xbox Live
• Cloud services: Dropbox, Google Drive Finances: PayPal, online banking
• Other: Fitness apps, GPS apps, Spotify