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While it’s illegal to install tracking software on an adult’s phone in the US, marketing such apps is legal. Although many companies display disclaimers on their websites stating that their software is for legal purposes only, there have been a handful of convictions for installing spyware on adults’ devices.
Last September, the Federal Trade Commission was the first of its kind. Banned a company called Support King operating under the SpyFone namefrom the business of surveillance to illegally collect and share people’s private information and not enforce basic security measures. The FTC said it “will be aggressive in seeking surveillance bans when companies and their managers disastrously invade our privacy.”
While many tracker software apps are sold as parental monitoring tools to keep an eye on children, they provide the same capabilities as services that are more blatantly designed to spy on spouses, says David Ruiz, senior privacy advocate for the Malwarebytes security group. “There’s a whole family of applicants out there who say they’re going to quote directly, without quoting, solving your cheating spouse problem. It’s not just ridiculous – it’s dangerous.”
Abuse facilitated by technology is a rapidly growing problem. According to the Stalking Prevention Awareness and Resource Center, approximately 1.5 million Americans are tracked through some form of technology each year. May 2021.
The charity’s tech exploits team said the abusers were working with “countless” survivors who installed tracking software on their phones to intimidate, harass and manipulate them.
“It’s extremely alarming to hear that these apps are marketed directly to perpetrators,” said Emma Pickering, tech abuse leader at Refuge. “Tech companies must act quickly to remove ads without their knowledge or consent that give perpetrators access to tools to read their partners’ messages or track their location.
“We have to accept that cyber harassment is a dangerous and threatening behavior in the same way as stalking it on the street.”
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