Stalkerware: When a phone becomes a tool of abuse

In today’s Big Story podcast, as partner abuse goes digital, a watchdog group is warning Canadians how easy it can be for an abusive spouse to install Stalkerware on a victim’s phone. Much of it is specifically marketed and sold to help people surveil their partner’s without consent. And CitizenLab’s new report urges police and the courts to figure out a plan to prosecute for it.

So what is it, exactly? How does Stalkerware end up on a phone, and how can you tell if there’s any on your device? What legal options do victims have? And what’s at the root of the problem that lets new technology be turned into a weapon of domestic violence?

GUEST: Kate Robertson, research fellow at CitizenLab, criminal lawyer

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You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.