Who else gets the cringe when ads about apps that lets you stalk your spouse come on your social media pages? Stalking apps are some of the most ridiculous apps ever made, and Google is finally doing something about it on the Play Store. To be fair, some of these apps are great for helping to track family members and minors. However, others are just downright creepy and invasive.
Avast Antivirus company has been able to detect some of the illegally stalking apps. The seven apps were referred to as stalkerware apps. Google has now taken steps since these revelations to remove the apps from the Google Play Store.
According to the researchers, the apps had been downloaded by over a hundred thousand people altogether. It might be worth asking your significant other if they have any such apps on their phones. Two of the more popular ones were SMS Tracker and Spy Tracker which had a total of 50,000 downloads altogether.
These apps are reportedly used to spy on spouses, employees or anyone at all without their knowledge or permission.
How spy apps work
Often times, the perpetrator would need to first gain access to the victim’s device so that they can install the spy software. The software will not leave any icons or indication on the victim’s phone. That way, they are unaware they are being stalked.
Usually, the app, once installed on the target device, will redirect the perpetrator to another site where the software will be automatically downloaded. The person is now prompted to delete the initial installation to remove any noticeable trace of the app. This app will then go as far as give access to the person’s call history, SMS and even contact list.
The apps are carrying all these things out illegally and pretty much invading the victim’s privacy. Google in its good nature has now dedicated a team to remove all of such apps from the Play Store. The company is also looking to improve on its abuse detection technologies and machine learning systems.
It is important to be careful about the apps downloaded onto your phones. In case you know anyone who has downloaded this app, we advise that you delete the app and deactivate the account. Also, we advise users to stick to popular or well-known apps with a high number of reviewers and over a million downloads. It is better to also research the developers to be sure of your safety.