How Many Americans Still Secretly Use Their Ex's Passwords (zdnet.com) 42
A recent survey by British Virgin Islands-based VPN service provider ExpressVPN asked 1,506 American adults in an exclusive (non-married) relationship to find out their password sharing habits across social media platforms. ZDNet reports on the findings: The survey showed that couples share a variety of passwords with each other, and they most commonly share within the first six months of dating. The most commonly shared passwords between couples are for video streaming (78%), mobile devices (64%), and music streaming (58%). Almost half (47%) of Americans in a relationship share social media passwords and 38% share their personal email passwords. Most services, apart from social media and mobile device accounts (which are shared most with family), are more commonly shared with a significant other than family or friends. Respondents said that sharing passwords is most indicative of trust (70%), commitment (63%), intimacy (54%), marriage-material (51%), affection (48%), and vulnerability (47%). Among those sharing video streaming services, Netflix (86%), Hulu (57%), and Amazon Prime Video (52%) are shared most with a significant other. Millennials and Generation Z are also more likely to share passwords with their significant others across all platforms, as compared to older folks. Among people who do not share passwords with anyone, the most common objection is that the same username and password combination is often used for additional accounts.
Among respondents, men are more guilty than women of still secretly using an ex's login information/password post-break up. Over one in four (26%) currently use their ex's game streaming services account and online news subscriptions (26%). A quarter (25%) access their ex's photo sharing program, and food/grocery delivery sites. Almost one in four (23%) currently access social media accounts, mobile wallets, music, and video streaming services and one in five access their ex's personal email accounts. One in four 25% of respondents confess to currently tracking an ex's real-time location and 30% confess to secretly logging in to an ex's social media account at least once, with 23% admitting to still doing so currently. It is not surprising that over one in three (36%) of respondents indicate regret in sharing passwords with a significant other, either during the relationship or after a breakup -- with men feeling more regretful than women (40% vs. 32%).
Among respondents, men are more guilty than women of still secretly using an ex's login information/password post-break up. Over one in four (26%) currently use their ex's game streaming services account and online news subscriptions (26%). A quarter (25%) access their ex's photo sharing program, and food/grocery delivery sites. Almost one in four (23%) currently access social media accounts, mobile wallets, music, and video streaming services and one in five access their ex's personal email accounts. One in four 25% of respondents confess to currently tracking an ex's real-time location and 30% confess to secretly logging in to an ex's social media account at least once, with 23% admitting to still doing so currently. It is not surprising that over one in three (36%) of respondents indicate regret in sharing passwords with a significant other, either during the relationship or after a breakup -- with men feeling more regretful than women (40% vs. 32%).
I share very few passwords with the wife. (Score:2)
For the ones I do share, I use Lastpass and they're random strings of gibberish.
Yes, for streaming services, because occasionally Disney Plus or Hulu expires a cookie or something and you have to log back in and the kids get upset without their P.J. Mask fix.
I see little reason to share anything but those, and those are only because I can't easily log into a computer or Playstation at home when I'm out in the field away from any reasonable Internet connection while 30ft in the air on a man-lift.
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That was one good thing about the token method of streaming apps. Not every device used them, but the ones that gave an alpha numeric key that you entered on a webpage helped with that. Besides, virtual keyboards using a remote is a pita, especially the non-qwerty ones. Its a lot faster to log in, even from a phone, than it is to authenticate a device using a remote and a virtual keyboard.
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I FAR prefer that method.
My wife asked me for the Hulu password for the Playstation one day. I used my mobile Lastpass and copy-pasted it into Signal so it would be encrypted. She asked if I was joking. Nope.
It's taken a lot of convincing to get her to embrace Lastpass, but using passwords like the ones I do and making her put them in with a game controller is about as much convincing as it takes.
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Re: If you aren't boning her... (Score:2)
Moral: Don't take erotic pictures (Score:2)
Tell your kids: don't take intimate pictures of your significant other, and don't let them take pictures of you. No naughty stuff, no worrying about deliberate or nasty behaviour before or after breakup.
Men are more guilty... (Score:2)
Are men more guilty, or do they just admit to it more readily? I'm guessing this is a survey of self-reports.
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Don't want to sound sexist, but perhaps men are also more likely to change their password(s) after the break-up
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In my own admittedly very limited experience women almost never change passwords, my wife's friend is still using the same Hotmail password as when she first created the account in the 1990s.
Comment removed (Score:3)
If only passwords could be changed... (Score:2)
If passwords could be changed, then the exes couldn't keep using them. Oh, wait - they can be changed. Fairly easily.
I doubt people let their exes keep keys to their apartments/houses, why wouldn't they change their passwords?
Why aren't ex's changing their passwords?! (Score:1)
Why would you not change your passwords when you split up? Or do you just stop paying the bill and let the account/services die for lack of payment?
Maybe don't give them your email password (Score:5, Insightful)
Change or passwords, or maybe don't freaking give anyone your email and social media passwords. Especially email, since it can be used to reset your banking and other passwords.
Quoting TFS:
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One in four 25% of respondents confess to currently tracking an ex's real-time location and 30% confess to secretly logging in to an ex's social media account at least once, with 23% admitting to still doing so currently. It is not surprising that over one in three (36%) of respondents indicate regret in sharing passwords with a significant other
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Have you dated four people? One of them is probably tracking you in real time, using your password.
Also TFA:
Respondents said that sharing passwords is most indicative of trust (70%), commitment (63%), intimacy (54%),
STUPIDITY! It's indicative of stupidity.
I tell my six year old not to tell ME her password. Not even her dad. Passwords are secret, period. (She knows I can see her activity via my own account, which I must use to grant her permission for any new web site or app she wants to access).
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>Have you dated four people? One of them is probably tracking you in real time, using your password.
since people someone dates for a significant length of time tend to have some personal traits in common, it's probably more accurate to say there's a chance every single one of them is tracking you :)
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Change or passwords, or maybe don't freaking give anyone your email and social media passwords. Especially email, since it can be used to reset your banking and other passwords.
This. It’s one thing if you’re married, but in their striving for hasty intimacy, people have no regard for the fact that they’re engaging in reckless behavior (both in this and other matters) with people to whom they haven’t made a lifelong commitment. They give things away without an awareness or care for the consequences, only realizing after the fact how damaging their behavior was or could have been.
Email credentials are the keys to the kingdom. People don’t get that.
Yeah, SO??? (Score:1)
I share my ex's Netflix password. She shares my AMZ Prime one.
SO WHAT???
E
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Why assume animosity? (Score:3)
Not everyone hates their ex and vice versa.
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The majority do, or if not hate, still obsess. Its pretty rare for people to break up purely because both parties were bored. The longer you are together, the greater the history. Quite often the relationship ended because one person violated the other persons trust in some manner. If you have been married for than 6 years, and then have to divorce, you are bound to be bitter that they wasted 6yrs of your life-plan. Or at least thats how one sees it for some time. Remember, hate/anger is not the opposite of
I don't use the my ex wifes password but (Score:3)
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Has anyone else ever used, for a personal password, an administrator password from a current or previous employer? Or am I alone here?
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Depends on job (Score:2)
I must be too old / old fashioned (Score:2)
Passwords we share:
Passwords we don't share:
I'll leave a digital key for her so she can unlock my accounts after I die, but we don't share those while we're alive. There's just no reason to have additional people know the most critical passwords in our lives as each time a password is shared it becom
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Yeah, same here - and in Netflix we have to have two separate profiles, because the absolute last thing I'd want to share with her is the "Netflix recommends..." section of her account ;-)
Dashlane has a way for her to get control of my entire Dashlane account should I become incapacitated (and not before!), and of course you can share individual passwords (just in case she needs to cancel the milk and I'm not easily contactable).
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We have a Netflix profile for our Airbnb guests that use our cottage. It's amusing to take a look at it once in a while.
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I have all our passwords in a single Keepass database. My wife has a copy but almost never remembers the password to unlock it, so any time she needs one of her own passwords she asks me for it. It's just one of the many services I provide to help keep her happy. :-) We've been together over 30 years now, I don't think either of us is worried about a break up.
I guess half of them (Score:2)
Since 50% of the ex-wives and ex-husbands have an IQ of under 100.
Secretly? (Score:2)
14% of married couples don't share a Netflix pwd? (Score:2)
What kind of crazy control freaks are they? If there was one password that was meant to be shared with the rest of the family, it would be that one.
Until Netflix allows different passwords for different viewing profiles, this is basically a requirement to view it on a new device or to even log on at all when Netflix conveniently forgets it.
Not me (Score:2)
I don't generally share passwords with my wife. It's not because there's anything I don't want her to see, but rather that I'm worried that she might accidentally reveal it to some phishing or other scam.
naw (Score:2)
I don't use it secretly, she's just not around.