Stalkerware

Stalkerware (also called spouseware or intimate partner surveillance software) is a category of monitoring application designed to run invisibly on a target's device and relay their activity to a remote controller. Unlike parental control or corporate device management software, stalkerware is specifically designed to conceal its presence from the device owner, operates without consent, and is most often deployed in the context of intimate partner abuse, domestic violence, or coercive control.

Capabilities typically include real-time GPS location tracking, recording phone calls, reading SMS and messaging app conversations, capturing screenshots or photos through the device camera, logging websites visited, and intercepting emails. The software is usually installed by someone who has brief physical access to the unlocked device — a partner, ex-partner, or family member — and continues operating even after the relationship ends.

Stalkerware is illegal in many jurisdictions and is classified as a form of digital domestic abuse. Anti-virus and endpoint security products increasingly include stalkerware detection, though attackers update their software to evade detection. Victims who suspect stalkerware should seek support from domestic abuse organisations before removing the software, as removal may alert the abuser; safety planning is the priority before any technical action.