Tile and Apple both provide instructions on how to disable an unwanted tracker. In other cases, you might choose to remove the battery or otherwise disable the device, or even to take it to law enforcement. In some cases, you may choose to do nothing to avoid tipping off an abuser until you’ve taken additional steps to increase your personal safety. “My suggestions would depend on the target’s understanding of who is tracking them and how they are likely to react if that tracking stops or if they receive an indication that the target knows they are being tracked,” says Galperin. If you do find a physical tracking device, you have options on how to respond. You can run scans with a phone app to see if they catch a device nearby (see details below), and you can physically search for the devices. Unfortunately, these can also be used for stalking. If you are concerned about being followed by someone using a physical tracker, there are two steps you can take. Once you’re ready, here’s what you can do to secure your private information.Ĭonsumers often use Bluetooth trackers such as AirTags or Tiles to keep tabs on physical devices they’re likely to misplace. The National Domestic Violence Hotline can point you to legal resources, including lawyers who are used to working with people who have low incomes. You can also consult a lawyer to get help figuring out how to best preserve evidence of digital abuse. If you’re planning on filing a civil restraining order or criminal report, or even reporting digital abuse to your email provider, a social media platform, or another company, it’s worth taking screenshots that could be evidence. Cutting off an abuser’s access to devices or accounts might make it more difficult to prove that digital abuse took place. There’s one more factor to consider before you act. It’s best to use a device the abuser doesn’t have access to, such as a trusted friend or family member’s phone or a landline at work.Īs an added precaution, you can keep the current phone you’re concerned about in a different location while you call, in case there is stalkerware on it, which could allow the microphone to be turned on without your knowledge. Shulruff recommends calling the hotline using a different phone from the one you suspect may be compromised. The National Domestic Violence Hotline has trained expert advocates who can walk you through ways to protect yourself and build a safety plan, and give you referrals to local domestic violence counselors. But you don’t have to face the decision on how to proceed by yourself.įor help navigating your options and for emotional support, contact a domestic violence counselor or advocate. “The more common thing is that all of these everyday features of our phones are used for monitoring,” she says.īefore taking steps to cut off an abuser’s access to your devices and accounts, bear in mind that in some cases it could be risky: An abuser could react with anger. People may assume that an abuser has installed stalkerware on their devices when the real explanation is simpler, says Toby Shulruff, senior technology safety specialist at the National Network to End Domestic Violence. “You’re basically approaching the whole situation like you’re a detective,” says Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Security and domestic violence experts say it’s critical to figure out how an abuser may be accessing information you haven’t shared, such as your physical location, who you’ve been speaking to, or details of personal conversations. It can be frightening, but Consumer Reports has compiled a list of ways you can take back control. They may also come to realize they are being spied on or stalked-in person or virtually on their computers, phones, and connected devices. People who are in or have left abusive relationships face very clear threats, including physical violence, sexual violence, emotional abuse, and verbal aggression.
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