SECRETLY
SECRETLY STOPPED. YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT COMPANIES LIKE FACEBOOK
AND GOOGLE WATCHING YOUR
ACTIVITY ONLINE. BUT IT'S NOT
THE COMPANIES IT'S ABUSIVE
PARTNERS. NICOLE ZIMMET
EXPLAINS HOW YOUR PHONE COULD
BE WEAPONIZED AGAINST YOU
EVERYTHING THAT WAS ELECTRONIC
STARTED BECOMING SINISTER.
REBECCA NELSON HAD THE FEELING
SHE WAS BEING WATCHED AND I
WOULD SEE WEIRD GLITCHES WEIRD
STUFF HAPPEN ON MY PHONE AND
COMPUTERS BUT I WOULD ALWAYS
JUST KIND OF CHALK IT UP TO YOU
KNOW A A LITTLE GLITCH. SHE
JUST GOT OUT OF AN ABUSIVE
RELATIONSHIP I STARTED
QUESTIONING EVERYTHING BUT HER
PHOTOS WERE DISAPPEARING RIGHT
BEFORE HER EYES SHE WAS MISSING
CALLS AND SHE EVEN THOUGHT SHE
NOTICED HER PHONE RECORDING AND
WAKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE NIGHT AND MY PHONE IS NEXT
TO ME ON THE BED. YOU KNOW I
LEFT IT BUT IT'S ON IT'S
GLOWING AND THE CAMERA IS
RECORDING. SHE STARTED
WONDERING WAS SHE REALLY ALONE
WHEN SHE FIRST MET HER
EX-BOYFRIEND ONLINE? SHE
THOUGHT SHE HAD FOUND A
SOULMATE BUT AFTER TWO YEARS
THE RELATIONSHIP BECAME
ABUSIVE. IT GOT TO THE POINT
WHERE HE WOULD JUST COME. HE'D
COME AT ME EITHER NOT MY HEAD
INTO THE TILE AFTER HER NOT
GOING AGAINST THE WALL. SHE
LEFT AND MOVED IN WITH HER MOM.
BUT DAYS LATER SHE LEARNED THEY
WERE BEING WATCHED WITH THEIR
OWN HOME SECURITY CAMERAS AND
THEY SET UP A RULE THAT EVERY
TIME THE MOTION DETECTOR SENSED
MOVEMENT THE CAMERA WOULD TAKE
A 15 SECOND VIDEO RECORDING AND
E-MAIL IT OUT TO SOMEBODY. 43
RECORDINGS WERE E-MAILED OUT
AND REBECCA WAS SURE THEY WERE
GOING TO HER EX CREEPY. I CAN'T
EVEN DESCRIBE IT. IT'S A
WONDERFUL TOOL FOR ABUSERS
DURING NICHOLAS WITH
THE ARIZONA COALITION TO END
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HAS SEEN
EVERYTHING FROM G.P.S. TRACKERS
IN STUFFED ANIMALS TO
CYBERSTALKING WE KNOW THAT
ABOUT 97 PERCENT OF PEOPLE THAT
EXPERIENCE ABUSE PARTNER AND GO
INTO A DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
PROGRAM A SHELTER AND
EXPERIENCE SOME LEVEL OF
TECHNOLOGY ABUSE WHETHER THEIR
PARTNER HAS PUT A TRACKER ON
THEIR VEHICLE WHETHER THEY'VE
DOWNLOADED A GHOST APP ON THEIR
PHONE MAST WITH THEIR BANK.
THE TECHNOLOGY ISN'T NEW. ANY
PARENT CAN CHOOSE FROM DOZENS
OF APPS MEANT TO KEEP EYE ON
THEIR CHILDREN. THE APPS CAN DO
ANYTHING FROM MONITOR TEXT
MESSAGES TO TRACK THEM WITH
G.P.S.. BUT DOREEN NOW SEES
THAT SAME TECHNOLOGY USED BY
ABUSIVE PARTNERS IN HER
SHELTERS ON A REGULAR BASIS
WHILE STILL RARE. A RECENT
STUDY OF ABUSE VICTIMS SHOWED
AT LEAST SIX PERCENT REPORT
BEING STALKED THROUGH AN APP
MEANT TO MONITOR CHILDREN 13
PERCENT REPORT G.P.S. TRACKING
AND SIX PERCENT SAY THEY WERE
SPIED ON WITH HIDDEN CAMERAS.
THEN THEY START TO STEP UP A
LITTLE BIT. THEN THERE IS
SPYWARE SPYWARE ON THE PHONE
HAS BECOME MORE AND MORE
POPULAR. MICHAEL MCLAUGHLIN HAS
BEEN A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR FOR
20 YEARS. HE SHOWED ME HOW MUCH
POWER SPYWARE PROGRAMS CAN GIVE
AN ABUSER ON PHONE SO YOU CAN
SEE ALL THE DEVICE INFORMATION
THE PRODUCT IT'S ACTUALLY
INSTALLED ON THEIR THUMB
PRESIDENT WORK. IF THEY INSTALL
THAT PARTICULAR SOFTWARE THAT I
TALKED ABOUT THEY HAVE ACCESS
TO YOUR PHOTOS YOUR TEXT
MESSAGES YOUR LOCATION AND
THE ONE THAT KIND OF REALLY
SCARES ME IS I CAN ACTUALLY
TURN YOUR PHONE INTO A
LISTENING DEVICE. I WAS IN SUCH
A TERRORIZED STATE. REBECCA
WENT TO THE POLICE BUT THEY'D
BE LIKE OH YOU NEED TO TAKE
THAT TO THE COMPUTER PEOPLE.
WE'RE NOT COMPUTER PEOPLE. YOU
KNOW I'M GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE
MATTERS INTO MY OWN HANDS. AND
SO I REALIZED I NEED TO HIRE A
PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR. THE P.I.
EVENTUALLY FINDING HER EX HAD
ADDED HIMSELF AS AN ADMIN AND
HER ICLOUD ACCOUNT AND MOST
LIKELY AT ONE TIME STALLED
SPYWARE ON HER PHONE TOO. SO HE
HAD TOP LEVEL ACCESS EVERY
SINGLE TEXT MESSAGE EVERY
SINGLE E-MAIL EVERY MCLAUGHLIN
SAYS YOU DON'T USUALLY HAVE TO
BE TECH SAVVY TO PROTECT
YOURSELF IT SEEMS SO BASIC BUT
WE START BY CHANGING OUR
PASSWORD STRENGTHENING
PASSWORD STRENGTHENING EVERYTHING. HERE'S THE BIG
TAKEAWAY. IF YOUR PHONE IS
GLITCHY THAT'S A RED FLAG. MIKE
SAYS YOUR BEST BET IS TO GO TO
A STORE AND DO A FACTORY RESET
BUT THAT WILL KNOCK OFF ANY
SPYWARE THAT IS ON YOUR PHONE.
AS FOR REBECCA. HER EX DIED IN
2013 BY AN ACCIDENTAL OVERDOSE.
SHE SAYS EVEN THOUGH HE'S GONE
SHE'S STILL HAUNTED. OH YEAH
IT'S VERY MUCH JUST THAT
HAUNTING CREEPY EVERY TIME I GO
TO A COMPUTER EVERY TIME I PICK
UP MY PHONE. THOSE FEELINGS ARE
STILL THERE? KEEPING YOUR PHONE
UP TO DATE ALSO HELPS DEFEND
AGAINST