Brits still remember their ex’s passwords and can access their Netflix, study reveals

NEARLY half of Brits know someone else’s online passwords, with a shocking 20 per cent revealing they remember their ex-partners’ passwords for sites like Netflix and Facebook.

Even more sinister is the admission of nearly one in ten that they have an ex’s details on location apps, such as ‘Find My Friends’, potentially allowing them to track them by GPS.

Alamy

Over a third of Brits still have access to an ex’s Netflix or Facebook account[/caption]

A whopping 20 per cent of Brits admit to still knowing an ex’s sensitive online information.

Of those people who do 35 per cent still have access to the former partner’s Facebook, while 34 per cent have access to their Netflix.

33 per cent even have access to their former flame’s work emails.

It also emerged that 28 per cent of those in a relationship admit that their partner knows their personal bank account login.

Within this group there was a significant gender gap, with one in four men knowing their significant other’s bank details compared to fewer than one in five women.

The potential for data breaches is significant, with 17 per cent of adults changing their passwords just once per year, with almost 1 in 10 never doing so.

A further quarter of people surveyed had experienced a password being changed without their knowledge or consent.

The most common culprit, ahead of scammers and prankster friends, was revealed to be current partners.

Reacting to the study, Jay Baloo, an online safety expert at digital security firm Avast, said: “These are truly worrying statistics.”

“While we know people do end up sharing passwords and devices when they’re in a relationship, there is a very dark side to this behaviour – particularly when women are coerced into sharing their passwords.”

Avast have teamed up with domestic abuse charity Refuge to create a Digital Break-Up Kit designed to ” empower young women to take control of their digital freedom, either at the start or end of a relationship.”