How much privacy do spouse have from each other?

[eliza61]

Ok, a guy in Michigan thinks his wife is cheating on him. so he snoops through her email. It's a family computer and her password is written down next to the computer. Now the da is charging him with felony misuse of a computer (not a legal expert, so I have no idea what this is).

Question is, do spouses have a right to private email accounts?

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/em...ichigan-man-felony-computer/story?id=12488956

If your spouse wanted to see your email account would you feel comfortable telling him no?

 

[bicker]

I work backwards: Let's say I die. Should my wife be able to check my email, and use my email account to close online accounts I might have, etc.? Answer: Yes. So as long as whatever law they use to assert that what the husband did here was illegal is nullified by death of a spouse, I can probably see the logic.

However, I see it as being inconsistent with a lot of the principles used to defend marriage as a legal institution. By the same token, that's more an indictment of government's interference with the institution of marriage, which should instead be solely a matter of personal beliefs and values.

 

[Agri]

Truthfully? I'd have my own computer that my spouse would not be allowed to use without permission. I've had my email snooped in several times and I've even had my AIM conversations snooped on (back when they had a feature to email archives to the user - ex put in his email address).

The only times I've 'snooped' were when emails were left open for anyone to view on a computer.

So, I'd feel plenty comfortable telling my hypothetical spouse 'no' as it is what I have been telling all my potential spouses since the aforementioned incident. I wouldn't want a spouse to snoop in on my phone conversations and that extends to email and instant messaging.

I would have everything listed that needed to be canceled in case of death, if I thought it necessary. But I think most things would cancel themselves out when my bank accounts were closed. =D

 

[hucifer]

I work backwards: Let's say I die. Should my wife be able to check my email, and use my email account to close online accounts I might have, etc.? Answer: Yes. So as long as whatever law they use to assert that what the husband did here was illegal is nullified by death of a spouse, I can probably see the logic.

I am a little confused. Are you saying that it's only okay if she died? Or it's okay because she is his wife?

 

[bicker]

Let's say I die. Should my wife be able to check my email, and use my email account to close online accounts I might have, etc.? Answer: Yes.

I am a little confused. Are you saying that it's only okay if she died?

Huh? I think you misread what I wrote. I don't think I can restate it to make it any clearer.

 

[Carly_Roach]

It would all depend on what's in the email. Both DH and I have confidentiality issues that are enforceable by law. However, both DH and I take care to try to keep our work issues away from our home life, so it's unlikely that our private email would be used for matters that may fall under the confidentiality umbrella.

Having said that, if DH is so bored he wants to walk through all the, "How are you?" "I'm fine" emails to try to find anything juicy, he's perfectly welcome. I think I've only read a few of his and found them to be completely boring. The only things I care about that might be in his emails are event dates, instructions for dress codes, directions to get there, etc, etc, etc.

Of course, the story did say that the husband went into her account after divorce proceedings had started. That alone would probably warrant some kind of retaliation on her part. I suspect that's what this is all about.

 

[bicker]

But I think most things would cancel themselves out when my bank accounts were closed. =D

I can tell you from recent, personal experience that that is not the case.

 

[hucifer]

Huh? I think you misread what I wrote. I don't think I can restate it to make it any clearer.

ETA: got it.

 

[snowywhite89]

Ok, a guy in Michigan thinks his wife is cheating on him. so he snoops through her email. It's a family computer and her password is written down next to the computer. Now the da is charging him with felony misuse of a computer (not a legal expert, so I have no idea what this is).

Question is, do spouses have a right to private email accounts?

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/em...ichigan-man-felony-computer/story?id=12488956

If your spouse wanted to see your email account would you feel comfortable telling him no?

DH and I both know the others email password. We generally do not log in to the other account but will do so to look up something the other needs and they are not home.

Everything we have and own is joint. The only privacy we have is in the bathroom.

 

[tammymacb]

All of my accounts have one of two passwords. DH knows my passwords for everything from my email to my facebook to my bill pay.

I do need some privacy from my DH. I'm not one of those wives who will use the bathroom in front of him. I like my quiet "alone" time etc. But, I've got nothing to hide, so as far as communications. He can look at any account I have.

 

[bicker]

It would all depend on what's in the email.

Yeah, I'm a little concerned by the idea that my wife is supposedly breaking the law by opening and paying the electric bill while I'm on a business trip. I know we're talking about email, but a lot of us are getting our bills electronically, now, as well as accessing investment accounts and retail services that way as well.

It seems to me that if they really want to do this right, they have to pass a law requiring all commercial enterprises in the United States to accept multiple account holders, and require them to show all account holders' names on every bit of correspondence sent out, including email.

Banks already do have to support such things, but clearly it would be critical to impose that rule on utilities, subscription services. It seems to me that there's a load of legislative work necessary before they can start enforcing that law the way they seem to be, without causing a lot of secondary problems for people.

However, perhaps law enforcement officials don't care about that. There are a lot of things where they fall back on the idea that certain types of enforcement won't cause problems because they'll selectively apply that enforcement only where they don't like what someone has done. I suspect a lot of people would have trouble with that line of reasoning though. By the same token, probably too few people would care enough about it to care until it adversely affects them, and I'm sure law enforcement is counting on that as well.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Me and my Husband do not hold anything back from one another. How devistating it is to find out secrets.

 

[luvmy3]

To answer your question, yes, spouses have the right to have private email accts. If my dh ever asked to see my email I would have no problem telling him no. I don't believe that just because someone gets married they automatically have to share every single thing with their spouse.

 

[sbell111]

My wife and I have access to each other's email accounts and would have no problem if one of us read the other's emails. However, this is not the point of the issue referenced by the OP. In the referenced legal case, the wife had not given the husband permission to have access to her emails. He obtained access because her password was saved in the cookies of their shared computer. As such, his access is no different than if someone accessed your email from a public computer. Sure, you should have used more sense when you sign on to it, but their accessing the email would be illegal.

The underlying issue of the case is whether a marriage contract gives a person the authority to access another's email without consent. I don't believe that it does. Others will disagree. Some will bicker about it.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Ok, a guy in Michigan thinks his wife is cheating on him. so he snoops through her email. It's a family computer and her password is written down next to the computer. Now the da is charging him with felony misuse of a computer (not a legal expert, so I have no idea what this is).

Question is, do spouses have a right to private email accounts?

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/em...ichigan-man-felony-computer/story?id=12488956

If your spouse wanted to see your email account would you feel comfortable telling him no?

Have a "right"? I would say no.

Along the same lines as bicker stated, if my spouse dies I willl need to get into his email and take over bill paying. Currently he does the bills online on his accounts.

Now that does not mean he may have private accounts however.

If my spouse wanted to see my email I would not feel comfortable saying no. Being married I feel that we should be open with our correspondence.

So based on the responses here. Married people should be free to choose how they want their relationship to be. I really do not want the government getting involved in my marriage with regards to what I can and can't do with my own email account.

 

[RitaE]

I'm sorry, but aren't there any real criminals out there that need prosecuting? Five years in prison? REALLY? That Taxpayers really want to pay to throw some guy in jail for FIVE years because he didn't like that his wife was screwing around on him?

illegally hacking? This is NOT hacking. If she wants some "expectation of privacy then she shouldn't leave the stupid password lying there next to the computer that he probably jointly owns with her.

Walker, 33, said it was easy for him to log in because his wife kept the password in a book next to the computer.

As for whether or not I'd feel comfortable with my husband reading my email. He could anytime he wants. He'd find some typical "my husband is driving me nuts" griping that most people do that might upset him. Whether or not it is illegal, that really isn't an issue in our marriage because I'm sure as heck not going to issue a complaint against him. I'd miss him if they threw him in jail for five years.

 

[pixiechick]

My wife and I have access to each other's email accounts and would have no problem if one of us read the other's emails. However, this is not the point of the issue referenced by the OP. In the referenced legal case, the wife had not given the husband permission to have access to her emails. He obtained access because her password was saved in the cookies of their shared computer. As such, his access is no different than if someone accessed your email from a public computer. Sure, you should have used more sense when you sign on to it, but their accessing the email would be illegal.

The underlying issue of the case is whether a marriage contract gives a person the authority to access another's email without consent. I don't believe that it does. Others will disagree. Some will bicker about it.

absolutely.

And while neither DH or I care if the other sees email, I would not be happy if DH "demanded" anything. That implies that there is something dishonest happening, and monitoring is necessary.

We would be discussing issues greater than email at that point.

 

[arielsleepingbeauty]

Keeping secrets is not a good thing in a marriage or any relationship. It is asking for trouble. If someone has nothing to hide then why would it be such a big deal. I leave my email open all the time. I have nothing to hide. I really don't care.
The only privacy i should expect is when I am in the bathroom.

 

[ICF]

In theory, I suppose if you want a private email account that is your right...and it's the right of your spouse to wonder why?

My wife and I have most everything joint, with the exception of a credit card or two.

We each have our own emails / facebook pages and the like but know the others pw's. We dont necessarily go into each other's accounts but we do know how to if we were so inclined.

IMO....to be hung up on having a "PRIVATE" email and not letting your spouse know the password for it, is setting you up to be questioned by the other spouse as to exactly what you're doing in there that you dont want them to know about.

 

[DisneyScraps]

I am not married but I was once and he had access to everything. I had nothing to hide. He never snooped.

Lisa