Where do you draw the line between tracking apps, and stalking apps?

There are (or at least were) a plethora of apps available on your phone’s App Store to monitor your activity.
Messages, photos, calls, even your location.

“It helps me know where my children are”…
“It lets me check that my employees are doing their jobs”…

Whatever sort of loophole you’re trying to achieve - Ultimately these applications raise privacy and security concern.

Recently, the Google Play Store took down a bunch of tracking applications from the store.

Breach of Privacy

Stalkerware

Stalkerware refers to the category of activity monitoring software that disguises their presence as to stay invisible and hidden. Often a fee is involved, and a license is purchased by the stalker to gain access to the stalking software.

As worded by Avast: “Finishing the setup there is nothing in the app drawer - no icon - hidden.”

There are security implications involved with these applications, as many of these stalkerware applications are developed by low-end software groups who don’t employ secure design practices. There have been several cases where data has been leaked - From insecure servers, to even plain-text transmission of usernames, passwords and other data.

But…

What about Google’s Find My Device, or Apple’s Find My Friends? Couldn’t they be considered as stalkerware applications too?

Whilst on a very high level, -yes- they can, but the difference is that these applications don’t try to conceal their presence.

Of course though, we can’t be too naive about this. One could turn off the notifications, or manually hide the application, and it would appear (or rather not appear) as if it was not running or installed..

I think the determining factor between the legalities is consent, but more importantly awareness.

As a minor, you would have to respect your parents’ and/or guardian’s decisions - and that could raise issues about child abuse, and mental wellbeing. I’m not a lawyer though, so moving on.

I would describe stalkerware as any application that can monitor your activity onto a device which is installed without neither consent nor awareness of the owner.