Do you share your passwords with your close friends, boy friend, or girl friend?
If the answer is “yes,” finish reading this, then go change your password.
Your password is supposed to be secret. Things change, your personal information and means of communication should not be compromised by fluctuation in your personal relationships.
Take this lovely couple for example:
Do you think that Brad thought his relationship with this attractive psycho was going to take a turn for the crazy when he gave her his password?
Probably not.
(Now I don’t know what Brad did, he could be a real asshole, but that’s beside the point.)
You shouldn’t have to sacrifice your privacy and safety to have a trusting relationship. To the contrary, I contend that if you have a trusting relationship, you shouldn’t need to know what’s in your significant other’s inbox.
My girlfriend doesn’t want to know my password, and I don’t want to know her’s. It’s not a big deal. If you are dating someone who thinks you need to share passwords, he/she probably has trust issues. Good luck with that.
Lastly, if you did share your password, don’t forget to change the passwords on your other accounts.
For more information on this subject, you can take a look at The Geek Whisperer’s Guide to Breakups.
Practice safe computing.
The Geek Whisperer 