Stalking has recently been brought to a whole new level. Instead of ‘just’ following someone or analysing their social media accounts, people can now track EVERYTHING of you. The only thing they need to do is install one app. The number of these apps that are downloaded has strongly increased over the past two years. What is this type of app and why can people still use it?
These apps are called stalkerware apps. They need to be downloaded on someone’s phone and then someone else can gather all kinds of personal information from a distance. There are different types of stalkerware apps that collect different types of information. Possible options are that the app records your conversations, tracks your location and phone conversations, extracts photos and everything you type like messages, mails, web searches and some can even turn on your microphone to eavesdrop on your daily life. This can all be done with a camouflaged app (where the icon can be changed to for example a calendar or calculator) or sometimes without even displaying it on your home screen.
These apps are especially dangerous when they are used for digital domestic abuse. An abuser who has access to the victim’s phone, can secretly install the app and thereby track all kinds of personal information. This is increasingly used by people who suspect their partner of cheating. Stalkerware apps give someone full access over your private life.
So, you would say this is illegal, right? Surprisingly, it is not. The software itself is fully legal. Accessing personal information, just like sharing your real-time location with friends, is of no harm as long as consent is given. However, the software is more and more used for the wrong purposes, like harassing people or accessing personal data without consent. And the problem is that there is a lack of coordination in how these apps are used. Therefore, a more specific and targeted international legislation would be in place. Besides violating one’s privacy, these apps also pose security risks. This is because in most cases, security protections need to be deactivated in order to install the app. This makes the targeted person more vulnerable for other cyberthreats.
Thus, since there is a rise in these stalkerware apps and they can do more harm than good to people, action should be undertaken to guarantee only well-meant use of these apps, preferably on international level.
References:
Baraniuk, C. (2019). The rise of stalkerware. [online] Available at: <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S026240791932207> [Accessed 6 October 2021]
BeveiligingsGuru, 2021. Stalkerware: ook bekend als stalker software! – Herken en voorkom!. [online] Beveiligingsguru.nl. Available at: <https://www.beveiligingsguru.nl/stalkerware/> [Accessed 6 October 2021].
Chen, B. X. 2021. ‘Stalkerware’ Apps Are Proliferating. Protect Yourself. [online] Available at: <https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/29/technology/personaltech/stalkerware-apps-protection.html> [Accessed 6 October 2021].
Marien, S., 2021. Opgelet: stalkerware-apps populair, wat het is en de risico’s. [online] Androidworld.nl. Available at: <https://androidworld.nl/nieuws/opgelet-stalkerware-apps-populair-wat-het-is-en-de-risicos> [Accessed 6 October 2021].
