When people get married in Alabama or elsewhere, they often find it unimaginable that their union could ever be broken. However, for some couples, divorce seems to be their only option. Although going through a high asset divorce can be difficult, technology appears to be making it even more challenging.

Smart phones are now being used as evidence in many divorce and child custody cases. In fact, a survey of attorneys by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers found that 92 percent had seen an increase in smart phones being used as evidence in the last few years.

It is hard to imagine a time when people didn’t have smart phones. Cell phones and smart phones have become a critical way for people to communicate with others.

Because of their importance, there is a vast amount of information about an individual stored on a smart phone. Although people would like to believe the text messages and emails they send and calls they make are private, they are wrong.

Smart phones are now being used in court as evidence. In some cases, evidence from a phone can help a judge determine who is telling the truth.

Text messages may be able to prove a person’s spouse was having an affair. Someone’s call history could determine whether or not they were involved in illegal activity. Even their Internet search history could determine whether a parent was negligent towards their children.

Technology has changed the way people work and live, and now it appears to have changed the way people get divorced.

Source: Reuters, “Divorcing Couples Use Smart Phones as Legal Weapons,” Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. Feb. 28, 2012