Stalkerware (surveillance by someone close to you)

Definition

Stalkerware refers to surveillance apps installed on a person's device by someone close to them with physical access — a spouse, ex-spouse, or parent — to track their communications, location, and activity without their knowledge.

How it works

Technically, these apps do what other spyware does; what sets them apart is the context. Installing them requires no vulnerability and no trick: it requires a few minutes alone with the unlocked device, which someone living with the victim has. The passcode is often known, and the install can be presented as a service — a family locator app, a backup. The app then hides under an innocuous name or disappears from the home screen. Surveillance covers messages, location, call history, sometimes the microphone. A second, simpler and more common setup produces the same effect with no installation at all: location sharing left switched on, or an account still signed in on a device the person keeps.

Warning signs

• Battery draining noticeably faster with no change in use
• Device warm or active while not being used
• Someone close to you knows about trips or conversations you never told them about
• An unfamiliar app in the full list of installed apps
• Accessibility, location, or device-administrator permissions granted to an app you don't recognize
• Location sharing active to an account you didn't choose

How to verify

First and foremost: don't do this research from the device you suspect. Viewing this page, searching "stalkerware", or opening security settings is visible to the person doing the surveillance, just like everything else. Use a different device — one belonging to someone you trust, a library computer. From that safe device, you can then check the full list of installed apps, not just the home screen, the accessibility, location, and administrator permissions, active location sharing, and the devices connected to your accounts.

What to do

If you feel unsafe, don't remove anything immediately. A surveillance tool disappearing is noticeable to the person who set it up, and that discovery is a moment when risk increases. Look for support first: the dedicated helpline for violence against women (3919 in France), a victim support association, or a trusted professional — and if possible from a device other than the one you suspect. Removal comes next, within a prepared plan.

If it already happened

Use a safe device — one belonging to someone you trust, or a public computer — to change the passwords of your essential accounts and remove connected devices. Preserve evidence before any cleanup: it's useful for a case. Surveilling a spouse without their consent is a criminal offense; filing a police report is possible, and support from an association makes the process easier. In case of immediate danger, call emergency services (17 in France), or text 114.

Frequently asked questions

Why not uninstall the app right away?

Because the person who installed it will see the surveillance stop, and that moment is when situations of abuse most often escalate. This isn't a reason to do nothing: it's a reason to do things in order, seeking support first.

Is resetting the device enough?

It removes the app, but not necessarily the access: if your accounts are signed in on another device, or if your passwords are known, surveillance can resume another way. Change passwords from a safe device and remove connected devices from each account.

Is it legal to install this on a spouse's phone?

No. Surveilling an adult's communications without their consent is a criminal offense, including within a couple, and living together doesn't change that.

Related attacks

• Cyberharassment
• Email account takeover
• Two-factor authentication bypass
• Tracker stalking
• Spyware
• Keylogger

Official sources

• Cybermalveillance.gouv.fr — Assistance and reporting (French government cybersecurity assistance service)