How to protect yourself from spy apps

Spy apps, also called stalking apps, secretly track and monitor devices. Once installed and hidden on a phone, they can track a person’s location, monitor web search history, receive notifications for specific web search terms, remotely control the camera and microphone, and read all incoming messages.

While headlines often highlight the national security implications of spyware, a hidden world of spy apps also allows people to track other people’s phones, raising serious privacy concerns.

Antivirus company Avast reports a staggering 239% increase in global cases of stalkerware on mobile devices over the past three years. According to a study by the EU Parliament, around 1-3% of women in Europe have been victims of cyberstalking. And 30% of respondents think it is acceptable to monitor their partner without their consent in certain situations, such as suspected infidelity, security concerns or suspected criminal activity.

Advertising strategies for spy apps

Many of these apps are advertised as tools for secretly monitoring phones. They often hide their icons or disguise themselves as other apps on the victim’s device.

Although these apps are mostly used by lovers or spouses spying on each other, many advertising websites claim that they are primarily intended for parents who want to track their child’s phone usage or location.

This is because in most countries it is illegal to install an application on someone else’s phone without permission. However, different rules apply for underage children. Parents, as device owners, can install apps on their child’s phone without the child’s consent. By marketing their apps in this way, developers are trying to distance themselves from the illegal use of their products.

Another tactic that spy apps use to stay compliant is to claim that users must comply with the law. They may even require them to confirm their eligibility to install the app by filling out a specific form. However, this often contradicts their marketing, which touts the apps as untraceable and secret.

How and why people use spy apps

This type of marketing is necessary for them because these apps have been linked to crimes such as child pornography, identity fraud, blackmail, domestic violence (including abuse of partners, children and parents) and human trafficking. In some cases, spy apps have been linked to serious violence, including murders.

People spy on their partners for a variety of reasons, including gathering evidence of infidelity, checking their partner’s loyalty, and trying to understand changes in their partner’s behavior. In addition, some people monitor their partner’s device data and accounts to track their activities.

Signs that your phone may be being monitored

There may be a risk of your phone being monitored if someone has access to your device, if you received the device from someone else, or if you leave your phone unattended with someone, even if you think that person does not know your password.

These apps are designed to blend into the normal functions of a device and are often marketed as undetectable. They may appear in the app list under different names; for example, an app will be listed as “iPhoneInternalService” on iPhones and “Update Service” on Android devices. Some apps disguise themselves as games or calculators.

To detect spy apps on a phone, look for these signs:

• Unusually high bills.
• Problems shutting down.
• Reduced storage space.
• Faster battery discharge.
• Overheating.
• Increased mobile data usage.
• Messages are read or opened without your knowledge.

You can continue the investigation as follows:

• Check your browser history or App Store/Google Play for unknown search terms.
• Look for changes in settings, especially if legitimate apps have unusual permissions.
• Identify all unknown apps among the processes on an Android device.
• Make sure that the built-in security tool Play Protect is not disabled on an Android device.

Steps to backup your phone

You can take preventative measures to secure your phone, such as monitoring who has access to your device. Other steps include:

• Set up facial recognition or fingerprint to prevent unauthorized access.
• Track which apps have camera access or GPS tracking and limit these permissions to a few required apps.
• Use apps designed to detect spy software. Be careful because installing an anti-spy app could alert the person who installed it on your device. There are special solutions that can detect spy apps without alerting the person behind them.
• Use iOS Lock Mode to stop spy apps.

Security Measures for Spy App-Related Crimes

If you discover a spy app on your device, don’t immediately remove or restrict access to it. This could alert the person spying on you and potentially put you in danger. They could resort to other forms of control or even become violent.

Police may also meet victims by mail in familiar, neutral locations, such as their workplace or a local grocery store. During the meetings, they may place the victim’s phone in a Faraday bag, which is a special pouch made of conductive materials, such as metal mesh, that creates a shield and prevents electromagnetic fields from entering or leaving the bag. This blocks all wireless signals, such as GPS and Wi-Fi, and makes the device appear temporarily turned off to anyone trying to spy on it. This allows the phone to be examined quickly, and spy apps can be used as evidence in a potential lawsuit.