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Posts Tagged ‘Spying’


Dec 22

Taking Spouse-Snooping to the Next Level

By Jay Slupesky
2 Comments
Specific Problems



“Turning Torso” apartment building, Malmo, Sweden

Snooping on spouses has been taken to the next level.  The next lower level, that is. I just started hearing about it recently and this one is downright creepy. Before I get into this devious new method, though, let’s review the common garden-variety spouse-snooping that has been going on for some time. All of it is made possible by modern technology such as the internet and cell phones.

  • Who is the the spouse calling and texting? If a cell phone is left unattended, it’s easy to review text messages sent and received as well as check the call logs to see all incoming and outgoing calls. And if the cell phone is not easily accessible (perhaps it’s being carefully guarded), the phone bill, showing all calls made and received, can be checked online on the cell company’s website.
  • What is the spouse doing online? If a computer password is easy to guess, of if an account is accidentally left logged on, the suspicious person can read all email sent and received and see all websites visited (unless the computer user intentionally deletes this information).

I want to be clear that I do not recommend spying on your spouse. In other words, don’t try this at home!

OK - I hear you asking - what is the new and scary way that spouses are spying on one another? They’re doing it with the location-reporting features built into the newest cell phones. Verizon calls their service “Chaparone” and according to their website it allows you to “easily locate your family member’s cell phone from your Verizon Wireless phone or your PC - in real time, at any time.” The service will show you on a map where the person is, and it can even give you the street address! In other words, you can be tracked wherever you go.  No need to hire a private detective any more.

Sprint cellular offers the same service; they call it “Family Locator.”

Most of Verizon’s and Sprint’s promotion of this service is understandably centered around keeping track of where your children are. But if you read carefully they do make it clear that the service can track any other person who is on your cell phone plan.

So how could a person spy on his spouse this way without the spouse knowing about it? Here’s how. Buy the spouse a new phone (makes a great Christmas gift!) which has the Chaparone capability. Then simply turn on the Chaparone feature before giving the phone to the spouse. Of course, don’t say anything about the Chaparone service. Then start tracking her from your PC or your phone.

You don’t believe people would do this to their spouse? They would and they have.

Again, I do not recommend spying on your spouse. My motivation for writing about this new technology is only to warn people that it exists and could happen to you.