{"id":30522,"date":"2021-12-13T16:16:23","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T13:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/?p=30522"},"modified":"2026-03-27T23:58:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T20:58:18","slug":"30-of-people-see-no-problem-in-secretly-monitoring-their-partner-finds-new-research-on-stalkerware","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/saudishopper.com.sa\/en\/30-of-people-see-no-problem-in-secretly-monitoring-their-partner-finds-new-research-on-stalkerware\/","title":{"rendered":"30% of people see no problem in secretly monitoring their partner, finds new research on stalkerware"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To mark the second anniversary of the\u00a0<\/strong>Coalition Against Stalkerware<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0co-founded by Kaspersky, the digital privacy company commissioned a global survey of more than 21,000 participants in 21 countries about their attitudes towards privacy and digital stalking in intimate relationships. Stalkerware enables a perpetrator to digitally monitor another person\u2019s private life via a mobile device without the victim\u2019s consent.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the majority of respondents (70%) do not believe it is acceptable to monitor their partner without consent, a significant share of people (30%) see no problem at all and find it acceptable under some circumstances. Of those who think certain reasons justify secret surveillance, almost two thirds (64%) would do so if they believed their partner was being unfaithful, if it was related to their safety (63%), or if they believed them to be involved in criminal activity (50%). Looking at geographical differences, it is noticeable that the highest agreement level on monitoring in general comes from respondents in the Asia-Pacific region (24%), whereas in Europe (10%) and the Americas (8%) fewer people find this acceptable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond that,\u00a0Kaspersky\u2019s Digital Stalking in Relationships report<\/a>, conducted online by Sapio Research in September 2021, shows that 15% of respondents worldwide have been required by their partner to install a monitoring app. Sadly, 34% of those indicating this answer have also already experienced abuse by an intimate partner.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partners advising on the research were domestic violence experts from other member organizations of the Coalition Against Stalkerware: Australia’s national umbrella organization for domestic violence services,\u00a0Wesnet<\/a>; the women\u2019s rights organization\u00a0Centre Hubertine Auclert<\/a>\u00a0in France; the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV<\/a>) in the USA; the victim support charity\u00a0Refuge<\/a>\u00a0in the UK; and\u00a0WWP EN<\/a>, the European umbrella association for perpetrator programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is dangerous to justify exerting any sort of control over a partner in the light of suspected infidelity. Preventive campaigns addressing the issues of coercive control, jealousy and infidelity would be a valuable tool against these attitudes<\/em>,\u201d explains Berta Vall Castell\u00f3, Research & Development Manager, European Network for the Work with Perpetrators of Domestic Violence (WWP EN).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The findings suggest that online monitoring can be another way of exerting coercive control in intimate relationships. Given that stalkerware is commercially available software that lies hidden on a device and provides access to an array of personal data, such as device location, browser history, text messages or social media chats, it might also not be surprising that it may serve as another tool in abusive relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really urge anyone who is experiencing stalking \u2014 either in real life or through stalkerware \u2014 and who feels it would be unsafe or dangerous to confront their abuser, to reach out to a domestic abuse organization to get advice and support<\/em>,\u201d says Karen Bentley, Chief Executive Officer, Wesnet, Australia’s national umbrella organization for domestic violence services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe National Network to End Domestic Violence is delighted Kaspersky is taking steps forward to increase understanding about privacy and the use of stalkerware in intimate partner relationships. More data is needed in this area and we look forward to seeing this information put to use to improve safety and privacy protections for survivors<\/em>,\u201d comments Erica Olsen, Director of Safety Net, National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Global detection figures and geography of affected users<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the Coalition Against Stalkerware\u2019s\u00a0detection criteria<\/a>\u00a0on stalkerware, Kaspersky analyzed its statistics revealing how many of its users were affected by stalkerware in the first 10 months of the year: from January to October 2021, almost 28,000 mobile users were affected by this threat. During the same period, there were 533 in Egypt and 459 in Saudi Arabia and 117 cases in the United Arab Emirates.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two years working together to keep technology safe for all<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two years ago, the Coalition Against Stalkerware was founded in November 2019 by 10 organizations. Today, there are more than 40 members with experts working in different relevant areas including victim support and perpetrator work, digital rights advocacy, IT security, academia, security research and law enforcement. This year, the Coalition welcomed\u00a0new\u00a0supporters<\/a>\u00a0like INTERPOL and\u00a0members<\/a>\u00a0including, Gendarmerie Nationale (FR), Luchadoras (MX), Refuge (UK) and The Tor Project (US).\u00a0Beyond that, fulfilling one of the Coalition\u2019s founding missions,\u00a0it\u00a0launched new\u00a0technical training<\/a>\u00a0on stalkerware aimed at helping increase capacity building among non-profit organizations, working with survivors and victims, law enforcement agencies and other relevant parties to tackle this form of online abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key company\u2019s activities during the year include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n