A man's story about a plane passenger reading his texts and accusing him of cheating on his wife sparked concerns about phone privacy and holding strangers accountable

17.08.2023 - 17:13 / insider.com / Holding

A man who said a person sitting next to him on a flight accused him of having an affair after reading texts on his phone before takeoff shared the story in a viral TikTok, sparking privacy concerns and discussions about holding strangers accountable. 

The user, who goes by the handle @berryd_treasure, posted about the incident on Monday. He addressed the TikTok, which has over 7.8 million views, to his wife and explained that he wanted to describe his version of events to show he has "nothing to hide." The user did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

"When I boarded my plane today, I sat in my seat, a lady sat next to me. I sent you a text saying 'I'm on the plane, I love you.' And then I went right from texting you to texting another girl and said, 'Hey I'm on my plane, I love you.' To which the lady sitting next to me said I should be ashamed of myself," the user said. 

He went on to say the fellow traveler saw him send similar texts to both his wife, who is stored as "Beautiful" on his phone, and another person. He added that the woman told him she saw his TikTok handle and proceeded to threaten to expose him on the platform. 

That's when the user said that the other person he was texting was his daughter, not someone he was having an affair with.

"I just wanted to tell you before she does," he said, addressing his wife. "So if you could go down to the end of the hall and tell our daughter that I will no longer be texting her from the plane that I love her because I can only love one girl at a time that would be great."

"And to the lady sitting next to me on the plane, you should probably learn to mind your own business. And I really hope that you see this," he added. "Have a nice day."

Commentators shared sympathy with the user and expressed concerns about how the incident was an invasion of privacy.

While some said it never crosses their minds to look at strangers' phones, others said the user's experience was a prime example of why they've invested in privacy screen protectors.

Privacy screen protectors use light polarization technology that makes sure phones, other tablets, and laptop screens are only visible when viewed straight on, according to Nord VPN. From all other angles, it's impossible to get a good look at what is on the screen, including texts. 

TikTok has become a resource for people to find and appeal for information about others, including their own partners.

Some users have willingly used the platform to find out whether their partners have cheated on them. Meanwhile, other creators have found their relationships unintentionally put under the microscope by millions on the platform. 

However, this most recent viral video has led to a debate about the ethics of