If you see a friend or partner’s phone lying around and you feel the urge to sneak a peek, you’ll probably be relieved to know that you’re not alone. According to a study conducted by data recovery experts at Secure Data Recovery, 82% of Americans say they’ve sneaked a peek at someone else’s device at some point in their lives. 81% of these people state that they have never been caught red-handed.
“The motivations for this situation are pretty self-explanatory,” the study says. “General curiosity (59%) is the most frequently cited reason for snooping.”
Secure Data Recovery says the ease and accessibility of digital surveillance may also be why it’s so pervasive. As long as a phone, tablet or computer is unlocked, almost anyone with the most basic knowledge of how to operate that device can start clicking texts, emails, photos, documents and more in seconds.
Not surprisingly, most people start digital surveillance by looking at messages (87%). This includes text messages, emails, social media DMs and more. It seems that we are most curious about what our friends are talking about with other people.
53% of people who spy on their romantic partner say they find something alarming on their partner’s device. Most snoopers say the relevant content they uncover is evidence of either in-person infidelity or digital dating and/or cheating.
As dishonorable as digital surveillance is, the study indicates that more than one-third do not feel any remorse or remorse after surveillance.
If there is one important takeaway from this study, it is that digital surveillance is more common than you might think. And of course you have to put a password on all your devices…
In the meantime, it should be noted that the study was conducted with 1,003 people across the United States.
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