The Benefits of Spy Apps and What They Can Do

Spy apps have become a colloquial term for all kinds of apps that encompass software that can monitor digital devices via some sort of software or spyware that is loaded onto them. These applications can be installed on smartphones, tablets, or computers to monitor activities on these devices.

Given these abilities, they often appeal to people looking for apps to catch a cheating spouse. According to tech journalist Radek Zielinski, using a spy tracker app is ideal for knowing what a partner gets up to behind your back. On the other hand, these apps can also be used to place one’s mind at ease since they enable a person to track their partner’s location, see who they message, and even check their browsing history.

Zielinski, however, cautions people to first do their homework about what kind of app they want to use and understand the legalities behind them. While it’s true that such apps can even track calls, texts, emails, GPS locations, and even interactions on social media platforms, it can be very tricky navigating the legal landscape around them.

Before we delve into this, here’s a look at two of the most common use cases for why people use spy apps and what they can do.

One of the least controversial reasons people use spy apps is to check on their children. This makes for a less difficult ethical situation since, in most cases, parents have legal guardianship over their children and do not require their permission to keep tabs on them. Spy apps are great for this purpose as they can monitor your child’s every activity online and ping their location to you at all times.

Given the vast amount of dangers out there today, online activities can open up a young child to an enormous amount of scary things. For these reasons, using a spy app to ensure their children’s safety is usually imperative for most parents. Even though consent may not be needed, it can foster trust, take away the need for unnecessary fights or arguments, and lead to a child willingly being more cooperative. When children are aware of their activities being monitored and consent to them, they are also less likely to try and find ways around them.

Keeping Tabs on Online Activities

Using spy apps can help parents with everything from keeping an eye on the websites their children visit, whether they are learning bad habits from influencers, the apps they download, and the people they communicate with. This insight helps parents guide their children through the complexities of the online world, teaching them about internet safety and digital responsibility.

Geo-Fencing and Location Tracking

Geo-fencing is more often used as a marketing tactic but can be a feature of some spy apps that allow parents to set boundaries on a digital map. This means they will receive alerts when their children enter or leave a designated area. This feature becomes an invaluable tool for ensuring children’s safety, especially for younger children who might wander off or teenagers who may visit unsafe areas.

This situation, though often the most common reason for spy apps, is controversial. The reason is that, depending on the complexities of individual state laws, it’s illegal to use without the other person’s permission. Due to the stringent nature of privacy laws, something more important than ever in the world of AI we live in now, anyone seeking to use a spy app in this manner should carefully consider how they go about doing it.

Wherever possible, if the other person may be open to the idea and can consent to having the app installed on their phone, this would be ideal. It may seem like such a case may never ensue. However, it actually occurs a lot more often than people may think since, in some cases, it may occur as an agreement between partners after one of them gets caught cheating.

What They Entail

Depending on the potency of the spy app used, these apps can do anything from tracking a person’s location to monitoring their every keystroke. Comprehensive apps like this can provide a person with a complete overview of literally everything the other partner does on their device—be it as serious as cheating, as innocent as having a crypto gambling account, perhaps having a secret friend on social media, or maybe hiding how much online shopping they’ve been doing.

Risks and Ethical Considerations

In most cases, even mentioning something like a spy app can become the cause of a lot of problems so it’s usually best to approach the situation delicately. Given the seriousness of privacy laws in most cases, any person wishing to use such an app against a partner should consider getting their consent to do so. While spy apps offer numerous benefits, they also come with a myriad of risks and ethical concerns.

In cases where they are deemed unauthorized, the use of spyware can infringe on privacy and is considered illegal in most jurisdictions. It‘s, therefore, crucial for users — be they parents, employers, or law enforcement—to understand and respect legal boundaries to avoid privacy violations.