She reads a message received on her connected watch, justice condemns her

A woman was brought to justice after reading a message received on the smartwatch she was wearing. The accused thought she was within her rights.

Laura (not her real name), a 33-year-old mother living in Lafrançaise in Tarn-et-Garonne, is having lunch at her mother's house. Everything is going well for the young woman. Then the smartwatch she's wearing starts to vibrate. She's just received a message. She automatically looks at the accessory's screen, and what she sees shatters her life. The message isn't for her, but for her husband, a police officer. A colleague and neighbor of his complains that she's "just being his mistress."

There's no doubt about adultery, and divorce proceedings are initiated. Before the family court judge, Laura shows the famous message, along with others, to demonstrate the deception. But just when she thought she was doing the right thing, she learned in January 2024 that her now ex-husband had filed a complaint against her for breaching the secrecy of correspondence. Yet it was Laura who was using the watch the day the message was received. So why this accusation?

Court convicts a woman because she read a message on her smartwatch

In reality, both spouses took turns using the watch. It was shared in the same way as social media accounts. Laura's lawyer points out that his client "even had her husband's police codes, which he had given her to access videos of his internships." Before the Montauban Criminal Court, Laura defended herself: "I simply read a message that wasn't intended for me."

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According to Article 226-1 of the Penal Code, invading the privacy of of another person's private life is punishable by one year in prison and a fine of 45,000 euros. And if the offense is committed by a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant, the penalties increase to 2 years in prison and a fine of 60,000 euros. Laura was finally sentenced, but to a symbolic sentence: 300 euros suspended fine.

Source: La Dépêche