One in 10 people admit to using stalker where to track a partner or ex partner stalker, which is an app that someone else can put on your phone.
And it can do a lot of different intrusive things.
It can log the websites you're visiting, it can track your GPS location, and it can intercept your text messages and phone calls stalker where apps often hide themselves on your phone.
They might look like an innocent looking app, like a calculator or a battery monitor, or they might not show up with an icon on your phone at all.
So you wouldn't even know it's there.
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Using a stalker wear app to spy on someone without their knowledge or consent is still illegal.
There are similar apps that are used for legitimate purposes like keeping track of children or workplaces that want to keep track of their employees.
Those apps typically tell people they're being monitored and consistently remind them that the software is running in the background.
That makes a really big difference.
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Stock firmware apps do violate the terms of services of most app stores.
So the Google Play Store and Apple's App Store will remove these apps when they find them.
Still, some apps will slip through the cracks and remain on those app stores.
Also, there's a second problem.
Even when app stores remove the stalkerware apps, the developers can sell them from their own websites.
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To look for stalkerwear apps, you'll need to go into the settings on your phone.
Because the apps will hide themselves from your home screen.
When you get into your settings, look at the list of applications running on your phone and look for anything unfamiliar.
If you see something there that raises a red flag, you can use a different device to look up information about that app and see if it's connected to stock or where.
If you wanna get rid of the app, there are three different ways you can go about it.
First, you can remove permissions from the app and then delete it.
Second, you could do a full factory reset on your phone, you'll lose any photos or files.
So make sure that you have those backed up if you want to keep them third, you could get them.
Get new devices, which can be hard but might make you more comfortable.
If you feel like there might be software on there that you just can't get rid of.
You should know that if you delete stalkerware the person who installed it on your phone is going to know.
So you need to keep that risk in mind.
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Again, stalker wear is illegal and you can go to the police if you think someone is spying on you without your consent.
But if you feel like that decision might put you in danger or you're uncomfortable going to the police, you should contact domestic violence services in your area.
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