As a Family Lawyer, we come across lots of different forms of domestic violence. Some of those forms are more obvious, like physical or verbal abuse. Occasionally, we hear from clients who are terrified because they have good reasons to believe that their ex is stalking them by tracking their location or reading their messages.
This guide is written to help people in domestic violence situations take simple steps to avoid cyberstalking. It is not legal advice.
1. Changing your password
Regardless of whether you think your ex is stalking you, it is good practice to regularly change all your passwords. Most people use the same password for all their accounts and this is very dangerous. It means that if your ex has the password to one account they are likely able to access all your accounts using the same password. Therefore, it is ideal to have different passwords for different accounts.
2. Changing your security questions
Your ex is likely to know the answer to your security questions. You should change them and ensure that they are very personal questions that only you yourself know the answers to.
3. Disabling mobile phone tracking
If your ex has access to your iCloud or Google Play account, they are likely going to be able to track you through ‘Find my phone’ style applications. You can prevent this by changing your password or uninstalling the relevant applications on your mobile phone.
If you have followed the above advice, and still feel unsafe, you can try the options below:
1. Create completely new Google or iCloud accounts and start your digital identity from scratch.
This is done online by searching ‘sign up’ or ‘create new account’ on the relevant websites. Be sure to delete your existing account and safely back up any data you wish to keep from these accounts.
2. Factory reset your phone or buy a new phone.
Ensure that all your data is backed up on a reliable and safe storage device/system beforehand.
3. Factory reset your computer and create new Microsoft or Apple (usually connected to iCloud) accounts.
Ensure that all your data is backed up on a reliable and safe storage device/system beforehand.
Taking Legal Action
If you are being stalked, you may be able to take legal action. We recommend you contact a lawyer experienced in family law and domestic violence laws to assist you with this.
Farrar Gesini Dunn has family lawyers who specialise in domestic violence situations in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. If you would like to make an appointment, please contact our Case Manager on (02) 6115 9000 for a confidential discussion about who the best lawyer would be for you.
Article By: Jiaying Goh
Solicitor
Jiaying is a tech savvy family law solicitor from Farrar Gesini Dunn. If you are a looking for lawyer with creative problem solving approaches, quick turnaround times and a background in finance, Jiaying is the right person to speak to.