How domestic abusers are exploiting technology

Apps designed as tools to keep children safe are being exploited by domestic abusers to secretly spy on their partners.

The "booming market" for "family-tracking" apps that allow parents to see their child's location, limit screen time and control internet access, also has a darker side, said Sky News.

What is stalkerware?

A woman told the broadcaster that she became suspicious when her "coercive and controlling" ex-partner kept "turning up in places" she hadn't told anyone she would be, even locations miles from where they lived.

She wondered if she'd been "microchipped – like a cat" but a worker at a phone repair shop told her that a hidden app called mSpy was "feeding everything" on her phone, including her precise location, to a remote dashboard, accessible to the person who had installed it.

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Melody said she felt as though "my entire life had been ripped from me" when she realised her ex could "see everywhere I'd been, every person I'd spoken to" and "everything in my diary".

The app is just one example of "stalkerware" – software "covertly" installed on someone's phone so they can be "monitored remotely" – said the broadcaster. Of the 18 apps that cybersecurity companies "flagged" to Sky News, 14 are marketed as parental control software, and this advertising strategy allows the firms to "skirt laws" on covert surveillance, said an expert.

Researchers at Montreal's Concordia University said common features of this sort of technology include tracking someone's location, spying on messages and calls, remotely activating their camera and viewing social media and browsing history. Their use is on the rise: the digital security company Avast reported an increase of more than 200% over the past three years.

What other tech is exploited by abusers?

The domestic-violence charity Refuge said more than 70% of those it provides support to have experienced tech-related abuse within a relationship, reported the BBC. Examples of technology that can be used for "tech-enabled abuse" include video doorbells, smart TVs and Amazon Alexas, said Lifestyle Health Hub.

A study for the outlet found that 41% of UK women said that a partner or family member knows the password to their personal devices – with 28% of these women saying that they did not give this password willingly.

Some 66% of women didn't know where to get information to help secure the devices in their home if they felt they had been compromised by an abuser, and that figure rose to 79% among those aged 45 and over.

How can you tell if someone is spying on your phone?

If you think someone is spying on your phone, you can "look for signs like data usage increases, battery drain, overheating or unfamiliar apps", said Top10VPN.

Whether you have an Android or iPhone, the "most effective option" to get rid of rogue apps is to do a factory reset, but that will also remove all your data and apps on the device, so back up your data first.