- 82% of Americans have already rummaged through a loved one’s smartphone or computer
- More than a third have no regrets having done so
- People spy on their partner or ex
The urge to browse the content of a loved one’s smartphone, tablet or computer can sometimes be very strong. Especially on the other side of the Atlantic. Out of simple curiosity or with a real idea in mind, a study reveals that 82% of Americans have admitted to snooping on other people’s personal devices at least once in their lifetime. A disease that is increasingly common.
The number is huge, but it is not that surprising. The study does not talk about people who actually use monitoring software installed on the smartphone or computer. It is a question of those who took advantage of a moment of absence and an unlocked device to browse discreetly.
It is surely this ease and accessibility that explains why this practice has become so commonplace. Of the people who confirmed having spied on a loved one virtually, 81% of them say they have never been caught red-handed.
Why dig into a loved one’s smartphone?
If curiosity pushes 59% of people to snoop in the smartphone of their loved one, 56% admit to doing so because of suspicions already present. In 66% of cases, Americans search the device of their partner or that of their ex.
Rummaging around in the smartphone or in the computer allows you to discover many things about the other. 87% of survey respondents are interested in trading, whether it’s SMS, private messages on social networks or even e-mails. In more than half of the cases, stalkers find something compromising. It is generally a proof of infidelity or flirting… Enough to consolidate their suspicions. That said, 14% explain that they have already done so because they were worried about the safety of their loved one.
Doing so does not necessarily mean being proud of it. However, more than a third of respondents who have ever rummaged through a loved one’s smartphone do not show no regrets or remorse. For them, this behavior would be, thus, quite normal. Still according to the study, only one person out of 10 declares that they do not take part in this activity because they do not find it appropriate.
The results of the study published by Secure Data Recovery, which questioned 1003 people in the United States, remind us not to forget to put a password (complicated, for it to be really effective) to avoid browses in your smartphone or in your computer. Even if you have nothing to hide, it’s still an unpleasant idea.
