The study, which surveyed more than 1,000 online individuals, found that the percentage of significant others, spouses and parents who admit to digital snooping is significant and -- at least among romantic partners -- on the rise. It was commissioned by consumer electronics search engine and review site Retrevo.
About 33% of respondents admitted to checking a significant other's email or call history without their partner's knowledge at least once. Married couples were even more likely to snoop, with 37% of married respondents admitting the same.
Parents, however, were the worst online snoopers. Thirty-nine percent of mothers and 36% of fathers said they had done some digital snooping (across the board, women were more likely to admit to snooping than men). The majority of parents, 59%, also said that tracking their children's location with a cell phone service or other device wouldn't be a problem.
"Consumers may have just as much to fear from people they know than big corporations," reads the study's conclusion.
