Nicola's nightmare began 18 months ago, after she ended a brief and violent relationship. Within weeks, Nicola realized her former boyfriend knew her every move. He started appearing outside her workplace, everywhere she went, and parked near her home when she exercised.
Nicola applied for a court harassment injunction to prevent her abuser from contacting her and reported the incidents to the police 35 times. However, she believes the police did not take her concerns seriously. According to Nicola, this led to her attempting suicide three times and self-harming three times since the stalking escalated in 10/2024.
The criminal behavior was only discovered during a visit to a mobile phone repair shop, where Mspy spyware, designed for parents to monitor their children's phone use, was found on Nicola's device. This meant her former boyfriend had access to all her applications, GPS location, and messages.
"It was terrible. I was constantly on alert, sitting with my back against the wall, changing my routines, and afraid to go out", Nicola shared. Never before so afraid in her life, she immediately changed her phone and her job.
Nicola's harrowing experience unfolds as charities and activists warn of an alarming increase in technology-enabled abuse, with stalkers using GPS devices, spyware, and Apple AirTags to harass victims.
Data from police forces in England and Wales indicates that reports of stalking involving AirTag and GPS tracking devices surged 896%, from 57 cases in 2018 to 568 cases by the end of 2024. In coercive control cases, the number rose from 38 to 431 during the same period, an increase of 1,034%. The actual figures may be significantly higher.
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Stalkers use coin-sized devices, available for around one million Vietnamese dong, along with apps designed for parental control, to track former partners' locations. Photo: ABC
A representative from the domestic violence charity Refuge stated that secret tracking and surveillance have increased "over a long period" due to "more options" as technology advances. For example, many new cars have GPS navigation systems that can be tracked via an app, Apple AirTags can be hidden in clothing, and features like "find my iPhone" and doorbell cameras are exploited.
Apple has implemented safety features, such as alerts when an unknown AirTag is tracking someone. However, some victims found these devices hidden in their cars, jacket pockets, and in some cases, secretly placed in their children's backpacks by former partners.
A representative from the anti-stalking charity Suzy Lamplugh Trust noted that while tech companies do adjust products after receiving complaints, it is often too late. Meanwhile, other tracking technologies are directly advertised to stalkers on websites targeting those who wish to monitor former partners.
In Sasha's case, her former boyfriend continued to stalk her after their breakup by analyzing geolocation data embedded in her photos. He could add those photos to his own library and use the location data to pinpoint the street where she lived. Because he threatened her life, his own, and the lives of others, police took Sasha to a shelter.
Activists warn of a growing number of stalking victims admitted to psychiatric hospitals due to mental health breakdowns.
In a 2022 complaint to UK police forces, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust expressed concern that police were unaware of the true impact of online stalking on victims.
Charlotte Hopper, from The Cyber Helpline, described cases where victims were told to discard tracking devices or leave them by the roadside, without considering that this could lead to escalating behavior. In other instances, police seized devices without turning them off, allowing perpetrators to realize the device was at the police station.
"In some cases, when a stalker's GPS tracking device is disabled or their access to online accounts is removed, we see things start to become more serious; the perpetrator will appear at the victim's home. When stalking is obsessive and repetitive, taking away that control can lead to escalation", Ms. Charlotte said.
Deputy Chief Constable Sarah Poolman, who leads the national police response to stalking and harassment, said online stalking and how criminals exploit technology to track victims have been updated in officer training programs. Additionally, guidelines have been issued on collecting and preserving digital evidence to bring perpetrators to justice.
By Tue Anh, adapted from Independent
