It would not be a surprise for me to hear that I tend to be finicky about certain things. One of them is my electronics. Electronics for me are my toys. And I don't like people playing with my toys - especially my work "toys."

An attorney really needs to be protective of their electronics. Spouses, friends, kids, etc., all want to use your device as a matter of convenience sometimes. A spouse may want to chat with a friend. A friend may just want to look something up. And kids love playing games on your devices. The problem is by allowing people to use your work-tech devices not only potentially exposes your client information to an unwitting (or even nefarious) user but, as one attorney learned, potentially exposes your settings to be altered for potential embarrassment later.

Screen Shot 2021-02-15 at 5.23.35 PM.png — One of these parties does not have the right filter on!

Ops!

Apparently, this attorney's co-worker allowed her daughter to play with the device in question. While playing on the computer, she may have changed the settings to allow a cat-face emoji to replace a video chat participant's face. For this poor attorney, it created a “purr”fect setting for a “cat”astrophe! 🐱 It's not a good thing to have to tell the judge that you are not a cat 🐱 (that appears in the video).

The PSA from this: Keep your electronic devices and software secure!!!