On the heels of last week's post about how text messages and social media play a role in divorce, we have more information regarding how the digital era we are in can cause turmoil for splitting couples. Today we look at emails and how new technology (or just a devious former spouse) can create a criminal case.

Just like the growing trend of social media evidence in divorce, so is the movement of spying on a former spouse's emails or using software to learn of any infidelities or undeclared assets that may be used in court.

While many states have laws that prevent someone from tapping your phone or recording private information by illegal means, these laws hit murky waters when it comes to personal email. The divorced couple may have shared a computer or an email account - in which case, how does the law come into play?

One of the best ways you can protect yourself is by changing your password; not just on your personal computer, but all of your passwords that your former spouse may know and could use to gather information against you. "If you don't change your passwords, you left them the key to the house," an attorney in the story said.

Should your spouse attempt to (or even succeed at) obtaining confidential information from your email account, that evidence could be thrown out. A circuit judge in the story explained, saying that the action taken to get the information warrants the exclusion of such evidence.

"When I create an email and I create a confidential email, that is a violation of law to intercept that because I have an expectation of privacy," he said.

Source: WLTX, "In Divorce Wars Cyber-Snoops Often Cross Legal Lines," Derry London, Feb. 23, 2012