When is tracking a phone considered legal?
Tracking phone is undoubtedly very useful. Parents of teens and tweens use mobile trackers to keep their kids safe from cyber-bullying and other dangers, as well as for monitoring their location at any time. Employers use such apps for preventing data leakage and also to track the location of workers who are often on the road. In fact, mobile trackers offer numerous applications and features that make our lives much easier.
To date, mobile tracking apps are available in all flavors. Some of them offer only basic features (e.g. the ability to monitor calls, text messages, and browsing history), while others have a full set of useful monitoring tools, like the ones that can be found at https://www.mspy.com/. Such diversity is impressive; however, it is also what makes the choice of the right tracker pretty challenging. Anyway, along with all benefits and attractive features offered by monitoring apps, there are certain legal limitations to what we can and cannot do. So, when is tracking phone of another person considered legal?
Tracking phone is legal if this phone is yours
Obviously, you can install any tracking app you want on your own device. You may need it in case your phone is stolen or lost. The same applies to parents and guardians. The fact is that smartphones and tablets used by teens and tweens actually belong to their parents, which gives them a full right to spy on their kids’ online activities and location by using special parental control apps. Moreover, they can even do it without letting their children know.
Tracking phone is legal if this phone belongs to your company
Business owners can legally install mobile trackers on the company-owned devices and use them to control employee activity, communication, and movements. Moreover, such apps are highly useful for preventing corporate data from being shared with third parties. However, this applies only to devices that belong to the employer. Tracking a personal phone of the employee is illegal.
Tracking phone is legal if its owner is aware if it
You can monitor mobile activities and location of another person if he or she knows what you are doing. Keep in mind that this also applies to your spouse, partner, and elderly parents. You can track their phones only in case they are aware of your actions. To install a mobile tracker on any of their devices without their knowledge is potentially criminal.
Now that you know when tracking phone is legal, you can make an informed decision. If you are a parent of a teen or tween, installing such an app on your kid’s device is a good idea, as it can help you prevent your son or daughter from getting into trouble. The same applies to employers, as mobile trackers can be very useful for their business protection. However, if you want to spy on your spouse, partner, or friend secretly, be ready to face negative consequences. That’s a serious decision, and you should certainly think about it twice.
