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'Can I log into my partner's device?'

Leaked data from stalkerware company mSpy shows how customers want to use the technology to surveil family violence victims and police suspects.

Nevertheless, the leak shows how Australians are brazenly engaging with a stalkerware provider through their government email accounts despite — or in some cases because of — their official roles, which come with high professional and ethical expectations. After purchasing the software and complaining that the remote audio recording feature wasn’t working, the person cancelled their subscription and sought reassurance that this wouldn’t show up on the target device. Monash’s Harris said that while stalkerware might seem “inherently more evil”, other methods of technology-facilitated abuse — like forcing someone to share their location on Find My Friends or accessing their social media accounts — can be just as harmful, even if they are less complicated.

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