When you first purchased your smart home device, you likely thought little of its uses beyond making your life more efficient. Yet, if you are preparing to divorce your spouse, your device could prove helpful during proceedings. Its technology can provide clear, convincing evidence of any misdeeds your spouse has engaged in. But you must be careful that they do not use your device against you.
Smart home devices help gather evidence
You may suspect that your spouse is having an affair or hiding assets. Or, they may have a history of domestic violence or threatening behavior that you need to prove to the court. Certain smart home devices – like Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Nest – will record your conversations, which you can replay through a digital assistant. This tool can be helpful if your device recorded any arguments between you and your spouse, or any conversations that may indicate your spouse’s misdeeds.
Your smart home device’s recordings may or may not be admissible in court. Even if they are not, your attorney can subpoena them for an expert – like a psychologist – to review them. If the expert is called to give testimony in your case, they can discuss their findings, which could impact the outcome of your divorce.
Smart home devices can be accessed by your spouse
Keep in mind that your spouse may still have access to your smart home device, even if they have moved out of your residence. If they abused you or were manipulative, they may use your device’s digital assistant to listen to your conversations or control your home’s lighting and temperature. To protect yourself against their actions, you will want to reset your device to its factory settings and change any associated passwords.