Member Article

Sharing is caring, or is it?

Love it or loathe it, Valentine’s Day is big business in the UK, with Brits spending an estimated £1.6 billion [1] on their loved ones last year. But a recent study from Samsung [2] suggests that there’s no need to spend a fortune on expensive gifts to show how much you care. Sharing your password with your other half, it seems, is the modern way to express your undying love and commitment. Almost 40 per cent of 2,000 people surveyed admitted to knowing the password to their lover’s email account, and more than a quarter (26 per cent) admitted knowing their significant other’s Facebook login details.

I’m all for sharing, but a certain amount of caution needs to be applied. You may feel that divulging your password to your partner is the ultimate sign of trust, but what if the relationship turns sour? What if your partner (or ex) abuses what is effectively privileged access to your entire life online — either to snoop or, worst case scenario, impersonate you?

Protect yourself and your identity by following my common sense tips for sharing your passwords smartly and securely with the ones you love.

1. Use strong and unique password for each site you visit for improved security. In addition, if you were to use the same password for multiple sites and share a password from one of those sites with your significant other, you may unknowingly be providing access to sites that you don’t want to share.
2. While sharing some passwords with your loved ones makes sense, it may not be wise to share your email password. Password resets or changing your email address often requires an email confirmation. If you no longer wish to provide access to a shared account, then you can simply change the password, and the person with whom you shared the password would not have access to the new password.
3. Don’t share passwords over email because it’s not secure. You should share passwords in person, over the phone or consider a password manager that facilitates the secure sharing of passwords.

Love may make the world go ‘round, but it’s sensible to keep your head even if you lose your heart. By following these three tips, you can share to show you care whilst maintaining your privacy and online security. That’s modern romance.

[1] According to February 2015 research by Capital One

[2] This study commissioned for the new Samsung Galaxy A-Series smartphone range was released in February 2015

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Siber Systems .