#HeyFriend, do you think someone is spying on you?
Are you worried about someone having physical or remote access to your devices? If you would like to know about preventative methods and ways to identify if this is happening on your phone, this is the right place for you.
Red flags to look out for in your interactions with people around you:
“It is common for the online activities of women and girls to be surveilled by male family members.”
#HeyFriend, are you worried that your family may see you and your life online?
It’s a valid fear, and an unfortunate reality for so many of us in the Global South… because online stalking leads to offline harm.
“University girls… are now scared to join WhatsApp study groups because they get stalked.”
#HeyFriend, have you faced unwanted, insistent attention on the internet?
Have you thought twice about going somewhere, or commenting on a post, just because a person might use it to harass you?
Do you feel like someone is following you online, even though you may have blocked their profiles?
Sometimes, the digital world may not be as friendly as we had hoped. In it, we may be surrounded by violence, discrimination, exploitation, abuse, harrassment and stalking - similar to the offline world. If you're feeling uncomfortable or as though your activities are being monitored and watched, we need to talk about stalking.
Stalking moves like water, from offline to online and back again. Many young girls and queer people face it as a real threat in their lives, from family and “friends” to the general online public who just may not like what they post online, or take an obsessive interest in their content and their lives.
This is the third article in this series. The previous articles explained stalkerware and how it may lead to image-based abuse, some popular techniques of stalking that involve commonly used apps, features, online services and devices, and potential countermeasures to them.
Note: Searching for, removing or disabling the means of stalking may alert the stalker. This may potentially cause the abuse to escalate, pose a risk to the target’s physical safety, and close their avenues to seek help or exit the relationship. If you are someone experiencing stalking or supporting someone who is, please assess the situation first. It is advisable to seek specialised support, using a device and a connection that the stalker does not use and is not likely to surveil.
Search for “How to spy on my spouse” on the internet (or replace “spouse” with “lover”, “girlfriend”, or “boyfriend”) and it reveals a disturbing reality. There are scores of results for persons who suspect their partners of infidelity, or are frustrated and heart-broken over an unexpected or messy break-up, or facing separation, divorce, or a child custody battle. The results demonstrate what happens when the surveillance economy meets abusive intimate partners.
“This violence is intersectional and may be accompanied by other forms of violence. A person can be physically followed, stalked, or spied on for subsequent threats. It all comes together.
Discrimination, abuse, exploitation, stalking, harassment, or cyberbullying reproduce gender-based violence and affect the offline lives of victims/survivors, evidencing the impact of virtual and technological spaces on everyday life. Online Gender-Based Violence (OGBV) is a continuation of offline violence, and it is increasingly widespread and malicious in patriarchal societies.
