Category Archives: Stalkerware

Anti-stalkerware group still working to protect domestic abuse victims

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When it comes to stamping out the kind of surveillance software that domestic abusers use to spy on their romantic partners, there’s still a long way to go. Security firms, victim advocacy groups and anti-domestic abuse organizations combined forces roughly a year ago to bring an end to stalkerware, the kind of technology that people use to monitor their domestic partners’ devices. The group, known as the Coalition Against Stalkerware, has made progress in the past 12 months or so, though there’s still a long road ahead, said Eva Galperin, the director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, one of the founding members of the coalition. The surveillance can be incredibly intrusive — stalkerware can monitor targets’ geolocation, texts, phone calls, cameras, and more — and especially during a pandemic, can be used to box in abuse victims and isolate them from external help and resources. Targets of stalkerware often aren’t aware […]

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Google Play Bans Stalkerware and ‘Misrepresentation’

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The official app store is taking on spy- and surveillance-ware, along with apps that could be used to mount political-influence campaigns. Continue reading Google Play Bans Stalkerware and ‘Misrepresentation’→

NSA Warns Smartphones Leak Location Data

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The agency known for its own questionable surveillance activity advised how mobile users can limit others’ ability to track where they are. Continue reading NSA Warns Smartphones Leak Location Data→

Google bans stalkerware marketing in ad policy adjustment, but leaves big loophole

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Starting next month, Google says it will no longer allow advertisements or marketing in its network that promotes spyware and surveillance technology used for intimate partner surveillance. More commonly known as stalkerware, these applications can facilitate and exacerbate domestic violence by monitoring a target’s texts, phone calls, browsing history, geolocation, social media history, and more without alerting targets they are being tracked. The policy update intends to bar advertisements or marketing in Google’s ad network that perpetuates this kind of surveillance without targets’ consent. The change, announced this month, could be an important move for stalkerware victims because while Google has taken steps to ban stalkerware applications in the Google Play Store, developers can always place advertisements that direct users to third-party sources where the applications can be acquired. Despite the changes, there are still several gaps that could allow stalkerware advertising in Google’s network. Although Google says its new […]

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During a pandemic, stalkerware becomes even more sinister

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When public health experts started recommending social distancing to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the goal was to place people out of harm’s way. But the policy has forced many domestic violence victims to possibly face a far more insidious danger: isolating with an abuser. Security researchers tell CyberScoop that data show a rise in invasive surveillance software known as stalkerware — applications that can spy on partners’ texts, calls, social media use and geolocation information — since the coronavirus pandemic began, despite the fact that abusers are much more likely to be sharing the same living space as their victims. Three antivirus companies tracking stalkerware globally told CyberScoop they saw an increase in stalkerware detections just after governments at all levels put social distancing measures in place. Between January and May, for instance, California-based Malwarebytes and Germany-based Avira said stalkerware detections on their respective customers’ devices spiked by 190% and […]

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