"I'm not going to lie. I read it. It was three pages long for crying out loud, and it was super juicy. All kinds sex, drugs and rock-n-roll accusations," wrote a reporter who recounted the story for the Baltimore Post Examiner a few years ago.
"It also was sad. Not only for the girl the email was about (if any of it was true) but also for the ex-boyfriend, who only accomplished looking like a bitter asshole with nothing better to do."
And when it comes to social media, the chance for both post break-up espionage and sabotage are high.
Popular social media site reddit is full of such stories. One user recounted how she approached her ex-boyfriend about a new girl he was chatting to after she logged in to snoop on his social media accounts because she knew the passwords.
"I actually want him to change them because I'm still grieving and I have no self control," she wrote.
In the comments section she found she wasn't alone.
"I had something like that with an ex. At one point I even asked him kindly to change his passwords so I wouldn't have to fight the urge to snoop," wrote one commenter.
"It's not up to him to change his passwords. It's up to you to have the self-control enough to not access his accounts," said another.
A separate reddit user expressed a complete nonchalance about whether his ex accessed his social media accounts.
"My ex has my password to literally every account I have, it's actually the name of her dog. I haven't changed my passwords because I simply don't care if she goes and sees my messages to other girls, friends, etc."
And then there's the Netflix dilemma.
Depending on what type of Netflix account one has, you can use the account on multiple devices.
If you've engaged in some "Netflix and chill" during the course of the relationship (let's hope so), your partner could certainly know your login details and could be watching House of Cards on your dime. Of course unless it was a particularly acrimonious break up, who really cares, right? But even still, it can lead to some further tension down the road.
For instance, one reddit user recently sought the council of strangers on the internet to ask if he was in the wrong because he changed his Netflix password after his ex-girlfriend got a new boyfriend.
"I thought about them just sitting on the couch watching my Netflix account, so I changed the password," he wrote.
"She got mad, obviously, but I told her I wasn't going to pay for their entertainment. Am I an asshole?"
No one wants to still be grappling with such intense self assessment long after your partner has moved on and found a new lover.
So remember, after you've kicked them to the kerb do yourself a favour and change your passwords people.
