Tracking someone’s phone without their consent raises major privacy concerns. However, the legalities depend on your relationship with the phone’s owner and what kind of tracking you’re doing. Installing spyware invades privacy, but tracking a child’s location could be fine. Read on for a breakdown of laws on phone tracking and citizen surveillance. Let’s clarify together: is it illegal to track someone without their knowledge?
Can Someone Track My Phone Without My Permission with mSpy?
mSpy is a popular phone spyware that gives you the answer to the question do phone tracking apps work and permits you to view texts, track locations, see browsing history, and more – without the user knowing. Installing it on someone’s phone without their consent is illegal. Taking someone’s phone without consent may be considered unethical. The app requires you to root/jailbreak devices before installing. So you’d need physical access to the phone, to begin with.
Once installed, mSpy runs invisibly in the background, gathering data. The tracker accesses it remotely through an online dashboard. So, even if the owner is careful, they can’t detect the spyware without advanced forensic tools.
Are Tracking Devices Illegal? Where Can Those Devices Be Found?
Taking someone’s phone without consent can constitute stalking in some states. However, the laws aren’t always clear-cut. Allowances often exist for parents tracking minor children and employers tracking company-owned devices.
Here are some common examples:
- Car Trackers: Magnetic trackers can attach to the underside of any vehicle in minutes. Low-profile versions are virtually impossible to spot.
- Phone Trackers: Spyware apps like mSpy run undetected in the background of iOS and Android devices. No jailbreaking is necessary on some versions.
- MINI GPS Trackers: Tiny devices designed to hide in bags, under cars, and other locations to track movements that sync to an online map.
- Smartwatches: Kid’s GPS watches allow location tracking. Some even have microphones that parents can activate remotely to eavesdrop.
So, tracking devices can be small, effective, and easy to hide. However, most of them require taking someone’s phone without consent. But in most states, using them without consent is illegal – especially to stalk or harass someone. Exceptions exist for parents and employers tracking devices they own.
The Consequences of Taking Someone’s Phone Without Consent
Taking someone’s phone without consent – even briefly – can result in criminal charges:
- Theft: It’s unlawful to knowingly take someone else’s property without consent, no matter how briefly. Claiming you planned to return it is not a valid legal defense.
- Invasion of Privacy: Accessing private data on someone’s phone without consent can violate privacy laws. Even briefly handling the device to install spyware may constitute an invasion of privacy.
- Stalking: Using information gleaned from someone’s phone to harass or intimidate them can qualify as stalking. And stalking can potentially lead to felony charges in some states.
In short, taking someone’s phone without consent – no matter how briefly – is illegal. Installing tracking software crosses even more legal boundaries. Charges can grow more severe if the information leads to stalking or harassment.
Conclusion
There is no situation in which an average citizen can legally track someone’s phone without their consent. However, clear exceptions exist for parents tracking minor children and employers tracking company-owned devices.
Spyware makes tracking frightfully easy these days. Tiny GPS trackers are also widely available online. However, using them to monitor another adult’s location without their permission violates several laws in most US states. Charges can escalate to felonies if the tracker enables stalking or harassment.
So, is it illegal to go through someone’s phone without permission? Absolutely – in all but very specific scenarios. Doing so unchecked is a major invasion of privacy at best and serious cybercrime at worst.
