Stalkerware on the rise…
Stalkerware on the rise
Stalkerware which lets users snoop on messages, phone calls, GPS locations and other phone contents its users are mainly doubting partners and spouses, parents and Employers.
Hellospy, a spyapp says that technology can reveal infidelity, FlexiSpy says that you just have to have access to the phone of person you want to spy on.The sale of such apps is permitted in many countries, but it clearly shows how these software’s slip in the grey area of law.
The software’s may be all legal for example, an employer will inform the employee that their work phone will be loaded with software that records everything they do and even the explicit consent of employee taken in this regard but still the snooping software can also be installed surreptitiously on a device to spy on their calls and messages this trend is on rise accessing one’s phone content is accessing life and privacy of the concerned.
Stalkerware one installed is setup so as to be almost invisible to the device’s owner and using GPS the location and movements can be monitored along with accessing the messages, pictures sent or received and record everything which is typed some spyware can even switch on the device’s microphone to eavesdrop on the conversation.
Some apps are marketed as helpful tools that allow parents to keep an eye on their kids. In reality, they offer unbridled access to children’s phones they go way beyond checking the child’s location.
Employers, parents and snooping partners are main users of these spy apps.Kaspersky a cyber security company analysed that there is 35 percent growth in this and another security firm Avast detected these type of apps on Google playstore which was removed by google as they prohibit such apps.
You can be using Android Phones or iPhones running on IOS these stalkerware can get around security protections in there even the ones built into IOS and spy on the phone’s owner anyway.
US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against such spyware firm Retina-X, which had developed spyware apps called Mobile Spy, Phone Spy and Teen Shield and such other as the company was failing to ensure that the users of the software were installing it for “legitimate” purposes, a practice which was unfair since it put people at risk of being monitored illegally.
There is lack of international coordination over how to deal with misuse of spy apps so stalkerware can still slip through loopholes, as most countries don’t clearly outlaw this software but how it is used- does it access data of people without their consent or harass them – that may fall foul of legislation.
International collaboration of law enforcement agencies is required to stop firms from marketing their such products, tactics like not explicitly telling and not referring to snooping quality of the product while advertising their product and concealing details on their website like a London based firm, mspy shouldn’t be allowed and tactics like this can mean that some stalkerware apps only come to the attention of law enforcement only when their targets report them.
Governments can solve this if they choose to and stop mainly women who suffer incredible serious harm because of this which they don’t have to.and people who install stalkerware on their partners devices aren’t just invading their privacy but as such apps often ask the installer to deactivate security protections, the target is left open to other cyber threats such as malware.Cyber stalking is a stressful situation for the target and has psychological impact and mental health effect and more so on the victim if they are harassed by this. spying.
Such behaviour can cause post traumatic stress disorder or depression in victims as well as worries of further abuses and fear that their partner will use the information that they have obtained from their surveillance to blackmail or shame them. Cyber-stalking is also co-related with other forms of harassment, including physical stalking and sexual violence and domestic violence’.
This Stalkerware is really a symptom of deeper problem. There is kind of an assumption with this type of technology misuse that if you remove the technology you stop the abuse. In reality, these type of apps clearly fulfill a disturbing demand as you can make out from the reviews left on their website.
