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While you're deep in a loving romantic relationship it may never occur to you to be careful about sharing personal information and intimate photos. But a new study shows you could be putting yourself in a risky position if there's a bad breakup.
The online security company McAfee just released findings from their 2013 Love, Relationships, and Technology survey which examines the pitfalls of sharing personal data or compromising pictures, and found it can be a real problem when a relationship sours.
After a breakup those pictures become weapons to at least one out of ten ex-partners according to the study, and those that threaten revenge by posting those intimate photos actually do it over half the time.
But is it illegal?
"Well, certainly that we would look into if it's in a threatening way or they're trying to extort," says Captain Doug Cain with the Louisiana State Police.
He says they have investigated cases of risque pictures being posted in revenge after a breakup. "One party has provided another party with a naked picture of themselves. They breakup and the second party that now has the picture says 'Hey look, I'm going to release your naked picture unless you give me a thousand dollars or $5,000.'
"Extortion type cases are using information to fraudulently access financial institutions or credit cards. That's when it really rises to when we get involved. Certainly you hear stories, and sometimes they are handled more in a civil matter and sometimes it rises to a criminal matter."
The online security company McAfee just released findings from their 2013 Love, Relationships, and Technology survey which examines the pitfalls of sharing personal data or compromising pictures, and found it can be a real problem when a relationship sours.
After a breakup those pictures become weapons to at least one out of ten ex-partners according to the study, and those that threaten revenge by posting those intimate photos actually do it over half the time.
But is it illegal?
"Well, certainly that we would look into if it's in a threatening way or they're trying to extort," says Captain Doug Cain with the Louisiana State Police.
He says they have investigated cases of risque pictures being posted in revenge after a breakup. "One party has provided another party with a naked picture of themselves. They breakup and the second party that now has the picture says 'Hey look, I'm going to release your naked picture unless you give me a thousand dollars or $5,000.'
"Extortion type cases are using information to fraudulently access financial institutions or credit cards. That's when it really rises to when we get involved. Certainly you hear stories, and sometimes they are handled more in a civil matter and sometimes it rises to a criminal matter."
He also says change your bank account, email and other passwords after a breakup.
Photo: Creative Commons with Attribution
