It begins with a simple question, “Hey, what’s the password?” Just like that, you joined the 81% of Americans who have shared a password with a partner.
According to a new survey of 2,000 men and women by ExpressVPN, this is a slightly higher number than was found by a similar survey conducted in 2021, as password sharing is becoming more commonplace among the younger generation.
Passwords, location, and other types of personal data can be shared in different countries. Respondents from France, the US, Germany, and the UK were part of the survey. The willingness to fork over private information was highest in France and the US.
Among Americans who have not shared passwords with their partners, the top reasons given are they use the same password for other accounts, a desire to keep certain information private in case of a break up, and fear of their privacy being violated. An interesting 7%.
The majority of American couples were willing to share passwords before marriage. Banking PINs and streaming service passwords are shared the most among all couples. The most likely passwords to be shared are on social media.
The survey found cost saving to be the top reason couples exchange information. It’s about more than that, too. The sharing would bring the pair closer, according to the survey respondents. Some people said they did it as a way of preventing jealousy.
Almost half of respondents say they’ve used location sharing to track a significant other. This feature can be used on both the iPhone and theAndroid phones. The owner of the phone simply presses a button to give their location data to another person.
Many people say they’re doing it to ensure their partner’s safety, but more use it to track their location, test their trustworthiness, and ensure loyalty.
Male respondents said their decision to share was related to pressure more than female respondents did. Almost half of the men agreed with the statement, “I fear if I don’t share my password my significant other will think I have something to hide” “I feel pressured to share my passwords with my significant other.” Less women were attracted to these sentiments, but still a significant number (31%) and 19%, respectively.
Breaking Up: Now What?
According to the survey results, there may be reasons for more people to regret sharing a password with an ex.
People with their ex’s logins have used them for many things. Even if they don’t use these accounts for their own purposes, a staggering 30% are logging in to their ex’s accounts to see what they are doing.
If your ex shares your passwords with their friends and family, this can be a serious violation of privacy. In this scenario, it’s important to protect your accounts. You should change your passwords immediately, un-share your location, and reset any shared devices, if you haven’t already.
4 easy things you can do to be more secure online — Clarification Please
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