How technology is turning jealous spouses into private detectives

The Spy Who Loved Me: How technology is turning jealous spouses into private detectives

 

(The Telegraph)

Have you ever felt like you’re being watched? In the past, spying on someone meant lingering outside their home or following their car, but these days technology does most of the heavy lifting, so spies and private investigators can just tap in and watch events unfold.
It emerged last week that millions using cheating website Ashley Madison had had their personal details exposed online, but the incident is far from the only way that straying spouses are being exposed.
As TV programs like HBO’s The Wire and NBC’s The Blacklist show, people’s personal gadgets can quickly become the source of their own downfall. Mobile phones in particular can easily be turned into spying devices, thanks to their built-in cameras, microphones and GPS chips.
According to private investigator Richard Martinez, a simple piece of software installed on a mobile phone can allow a jealous spouse to monitor all their partner’s movements, texts, emails and calls.
“If you can provide us with the IMEI number from his mobile, that’s all you need. Every time he sends or receives an email or a text, your mobile phone will get a copy, as well as the number it’s come from and gone to,” said Mr Martinez.
“Your mobile phone will also have the GPS location of his mobile phone 24/7, and you get surround sound as well, so you can then listen in on his mobile phone without him knowing.”

The Ashley Madison hack attack has put a spotlight on infidelity.

Is it ever okay to spy on your spouse? Technology allows you to hide apps on their phone, put a GPS tracker on their car and read their emails and text messages in real time.

To Catch a Cheat: 6 apps for spying on your significant other

But just because the technology is there, should you spy on your spouse? You can turn any iPhone into a“SpyPhone” but when does snooping cross the line and become a crime?

The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 prohibits accessing a computer (and other devices) without authorization and constitutes a criminal offense.

When Snooping On Your Spouse Become Illegal

 

“If you’re having to bug their phone, read their emails or secretly track their car, the relationship is already dead,” says matchmaker Sameera Sullivan. “If you can’t trust your partner, it’s time to move on and it’s certainly not worth committing a crime in order to check your mate.”