Digitally watched without consent: spyware as a tool of coercive control

(Fitriani) Spyware, once primarily used by intelligence agencies and nation-states, has become a tool of intimate partner abuse, quietly deployed against people – mostly women – who have no idea they are being watched. In an age when our phones know our location and hold our most private conversations, a disturbing form of abuse has found a foothold worldwide. In April, news emerged that thousands of men had flocked to groups on the messaging app Telegram to buy commercial spyware designed to covertly monitor their partners. Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has flagged technology-facilitated abuse as a concern, including use of spyware in coercive control and cyberstalking, warning the public of the tactic and providing support for frontline workers and survivors. But more can be done to address this systemic threat hiding inside Australia’s domestic violence crisis. Spyware is malicious software that covertly monitors a device’s activity, collecting information without the user’s knowledge and sending the data to an unauthorised entity. Highly invasive spyware allows unlimited access with little or no trace, making it almost impossible for the user to know what data was taken. – Digitally watched without consent: spyware as a tool of coercive control | The Strategist