How to check your phone for spyware including from a partner!
Depending on how long you have been a reader of mine, you may or may not know that I have personal experience of domestic violence. I won’t go into detail of my own experiences here, but I have been on the receiving end of a controlling behaviour, physical violence and attempts to gaslight and isolate me. In both instances I was helped by women’s aid to free myself.
It may not be a surprise that during lockdown instances of domestic violence, jealousy, paranoia and controlling behaviour have skyrocketed. As has the domestic use of spyware. In March and June of this year there was a 51% increase in the use of spying and stalking apps, compared to January and February of 2020.
When you think about mobile phone hacking you might not think that the most likely culprit would be your partner, but unfortunately the use of spying tools has dramatically gone up during lockdown. Even if they are completely incapable when it comes to technology, the modern availability of hacking tools to hack a person’s device has made simple and easy. Often all that is required is access to the victim’s phone for a matter of minutes, and a small monthly fee.
These tools are often marketed as ways to monitor the location and phone use of children; however, they are regularly used by controlling or abusive people to monitor the texts, calls and locations of another adult.
There are various different red flags that could let you know that your phone is being monitored, including:
- Your phone overheating
- Using up data very quickly
- Using up the battery very quickly
- Apps you don’t recognise, potentially hidden in folders
- Someone seeming to know information about your conversations and whereabouts that they shouldn’t
None of these by themselves necessarily mean anything but two or more together deserve investigation.
If you do find spyware on your phone, your next steps are crucial. Confronting the person who installed it could provoke a violent response, so it is best to make a plan with someone you trust or an organisation like Women’s Aid and remove yourself from the situation as calmly as possible.