Taking Spouse-Snooping to the Next Level

Dec 22

By Jay Slupesky

: “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.

Tags: Snooping, Spying

This entry was posted on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 3:04 pm and is filed under Specific Problems.

2 Responses to “Taking Spouse-Snooping to the Next Level”

Leigh Says:
January 24th, 2009 at 1:19 am
WHY would you not recommend spying on one’s spouse? Other counselor’s have said if you suspect something, you should do whatever you need to do to find out, even hire a Private Investigator, if necessary. And why should there be any issue with a spouse checking the phone bills of their spouse? I understand that sometimes it may be a situation of a spouse that is too controlling or unreasonably jealous… but if it is a case of suspecting that your spouse may be hiding or lying to you, I think it makes perfect sense to review the phone bills (online or whatever), and even to check locations via Chaperone, or whatever way of accessing the info (hire P.I., etc.).
Leigh Says:
January 24th, 2009 at 1:30 am
If both partners have nothing to hide, then there should be no reason to worry if they look at your phone, or look at the phone bill, or check your activities via GPS, or email, or whatever! If there is nothing to hide, then there is no reason to hide! And I imagine that if a spouse feels the need to check on any of these things, it is for good reason. I realize there may be a few exceptions, but for the most part, when people resort to things like this, it is because their gut is telling them something is going on.. and it usually IS. So I think they have a right to know, as a spouse. As a spouse, there really should be no secrets… nothing to hide from your spouse. Not that you have to share every little thing, but anything you feel the need to hide, should be shared before marriage. And after marriage, no more secrets….

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