Raleigh Family Lawyers Ask: Is Facebook The New Face of Cheating?

Raleigh North Carolina Divorce Lawyer Discusses Online Cheating

You and your spouse have been happily married for years, or so you thought, but for the last few months he has been spending more and more time on the computer “updating” his Facebook page and “talking” with old friends. You ask to see his page and he tells you that it is none of your business. Social networking sites are on the rise, and have become an integral part of many folk’s daily lives. While websites such as MySpace, Facebook, and now Twitter may be excellent networking tools, they also offer spouses who have the propensity to cheat new and easier ways to get reconnected with old flames or to meet new love interests.

You have now come to the conclusion that you think he might be cheating. What can you do? First, create your own page. Once you have your own page you can search other profiles to see if your spouse has one. If he or she does, then see if the page is marked as private. If it is not a private page, you will be able to view the contents of the page. Look at the pictures. Are there any photos of your spouse with someone you don’t know? Is he standing just a little too close to someone? Are there any recent photos that depict your spouse somewhere that you didn’t know he went or that were obviously taken by someone else when you were not around?

Read the comments. Is anyone being a little too friendly with your spouse? Does anyone make reference to an outing or an event that your spouse attended that either you didn’t know about or weren’t invited to? Look at your spouse’s friend list. Is there anyone on the list that you recognize as an old flame or perhaps a “friend” from work with whom your spouse has been spending an inordinate amount of time? If so, try to look at their pages. Once again, if they are not set to be private, then you should have no problem viewing the contents of the pages. See if your spouse has been leaving inappropriate or flirty comments on their pages, or if he or she appears in any of their photographs.

So now you have created your account and found your spouse’s profile, but it is set to be private. What can you do? The easiest thing to do is send your spouse a “friend request” to see if he or she will allow you to access to his page. Sending the friend request will accomplish two things. First, if the request is accepted, you will be able to view the contents of your spouse’s page. If, however, your request is ignored by your spouse, then you may have reason to believe that there is something on that page that your spouse does not want you to see.

In some cases, however, even if your spouse’s profile is set to be private, there may be certain areas that are still open to public view. Often, a person’s friend list will be viewable, and in some cases their basic profile information such as education, employment, and most importantly their “relationship status” will be viewable. If your spouse’s relationship status says “single” or “it’s complicated,” you may have reason to worry.

Contributor: Jaime H. Davis – Jaime Davis, a Raleigh Family Law Attorney is a North Carolina Board Certified Family Law Specialist and member of the Raleigh, North Carolina Divorce Law Firm of Gailor, Wallis & Hunt, PLLC. For more information contact: Raleigh, North Carolina Family Law Firm, Gailor, Wallis & Hunt at 866-362-7586 or go to www.gailorwallis.com.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is intended as a general guide and is not to be used as legal advice by Gailor, Wallis & Hunt, PLLC. Whether or not you may be entitled to take action in regard to the information addressed in this article can only be determined after a thorough review of the facts and circumstances of your case. You may contact North Carolina Family Lawyers Gailor, Wallis & Hunt, PLLC, a full service divorce law firm, at 866-362-7586.