Abuse Using Technology

One risk to using co-parenting technology apps is that, just like other types of apps, it may require you to reveal more personally identifying information than you are comfortable sharing. Some aspects of the app that may affect your privacy or safety are:

• It may require location services to be turned on;
• It may collect and share data about you with other companies;
• The app or web portal may not be secure;
• You may only be able to use it from your phone, with no option to use a browser, which could be an issue if you think the abuser may be monitoring your phone;
• It may not remove metadata from images or videos that you upload. The metadata could include sensitive information like your location. You can see what metadata a file has, and remove it, using online tools. If you are using a laptop or desktop, you can learn how to remove the metadata on the University of Michigan Safe Computing website. (WomensLaw is not affiliated with that website and cannot vouch for the  accuracy of it; we provide it for your information only.)

If you are uncomfortable with a particular app, you may be able to ask the judge to order a different app.

To think through whether or not using some sort of communication tool may work for your situation, you may want to talk to a lawyer who specializes in custody and domestic violence issues.

To learn more about custody in your state, go to our Custody page and select your state from the drop-down menu.