Study: 1 in 5 men have a secret email account

Article courtesy of Technorati

A recent study by Internet security company BullGuard revealed that one in five men have a secret email account. The reasons range from hiding financial problems to corresponding with an ex or current lover who they don’t want their spouse or partner to know about. In addition to the roughly one-quarter of men who have secret email accounts, about 1 in 20 men also harbor a secret cell phone for additional security.

When asked why, 1 in 10 men who have secret email accounts stated they “deliberately set up the account as they were having an affair or because they had financial problems they were keen to hide.” The things most men revealed they hide were either financial records or evidence of infidelity.  About 37% revealed they hide confirmation of purchases, and another 24% reveal they hide other details of money they spent. This is in addition to the 18% who admitted storing pictures of an ex lover or partner, and 32% who admitted to sending flirtatous messages.

Mike Hodges, COO at BullGuard said, “Of course there are legitimate security concerns that might involve someone setting up a second email address, or clearing browser history.”  He goes on to say, “Many people use a secondary email account when registering for casual activities such as hobbies and interests, with a primary email account used for more important tasks such as online banking and online shopping.”

While some of these legitimate concerns are certainly reasons for some men setting up a secondary email, it doesn’t dissuade women who know these statistics all too well from snooping around their partners cell phone text messages, email accounts or Facebook profiles. From the same study it revealed that 16% of women snoop on their partners computer or phone and another 14% snoop on their partners Facebook page.

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