Although laws vary from country to country, tracking someone’s phone without their consent is illegal. Good intentions do not justify spying either. The penalty for illegal spying is very severe, including huge monetary fines and significant jail time. A judge, however, may render a prying case legal or moral depending on the circumstances.
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Secretly Spy on Someone’s Cell Phone
You should read the many articles on the internet that speak about tracking your partner as you will get an idea of what is right and what is wrong. Most articles also advocate installing apps.
There are some things that you should consider before installing the app to the target device to ensure that you don’t do contrary to what is laid out by the statutes. However, always ensure that you carefully read the disclosures of the app you intend to use for spying before anything else.
It is legal if you own the device
In the context of the law, the person who holds the papers to the device owns it. For instance, if a person gives you a bugged phone as a gift, he/she has committed no offense.
Possession does not always imply ownership. However, just like ownership, possession of goods and chattels is regulated by states under Property Law.
If you have not notified the person, it’s illegal
Installing any app on a person’s phone without their consent is illegal. However, spying on your children without notifying them first is not illegal. This is because a parent must be involved in all acts of misconduct by his/her children.
When spying on your employees, you must first get their consent. Spying on your spouse, which is a very popular subject, is illegal generally. Make sure you get proper legal advice before embarking on a charge to remotely track your partner.
Accessing a person’s social media accounts is illegal
The law prohibits you from using third party apps to gain access to other people’s social media accounts. Here, it is illegal even if you own the device.
Bypassing a password to access any account is breaking the law
Bypassing the pass key of a mobile phone that you don’t own is illegal. There’s no exception to this law;it stands worldwide.
Is mobile phone spy software legal?
The law concerning mobile tracking software can be really complicating. The first question that comes to mind before using any tracking app is, “is this going to make me collide with the law?”
Just like any other app available in the store, mobile phone spy software is absolutely legal. Companies can legally produce this type of software and distribute it to customers. The problem comes up when the customer uses it for an illegal purpose.
These companies are very sensitive to the law and might mislead you to break the law when they have already taken care of things at their end. This will leave you stranded in a lawsuit alone in case your spouse or someone else sues you for tracking them without their consent.
Don’t just check the box blindly to accept that you have read all the agreements. Read the disclaimers and terms of use available on their website carefully. 🙂
