“Didi, that was a really good session. Thank you. But can I ask you a question in private?”
“Sure. “
“If all incoming and outgoing SMSes from a phone are being watched. Then.. Is there a way to get rid of it? To stop it all?”
“There might be a few ways. Can you tell me more… Is this an Android device? And is the source of compromise known?”
(thinks and hesitates for a while) “Let us say there is a boy. He has installed something on his girlfriend’s phone. This allows him to know everything about her communications. It allows him to confront her about it. “
“Hmm.. Since how long?”
“One year. No… nearly 2 years.”
“And now… what has changed?”
“Nothing. It must end now. It’s too much to take. (pauses) It’s my best friend who is going through this. She’s very unhappy. “
“I’m sorry. This doesn’t sound right. Is the compromised device in question here?”
(very quickly) “No. The device is not here. It cannot be brought here or shown to you.”
“How do you know what is watched and what is not?”
“The boyfriend often confronts her about it. His conversations reveal that he is aware of every SMS and all the phone history on the device. “
“Hmm. How can your best friend be helped? You say she is not here, her device is not here.“
“Yes she lives alone in the hostel. She has gone back to her village for a few days.”
“OK. Then… do you want to take our phone numbers and share it with her? So if she wants to talk about it, she has an option.”
With that, she took our numbers and left the classroom as quickly as possible. (Read previous post about the workshops I conducted in Vidarbha) But the memory of it has remained with me.
Some observations
- No agency, no trust: That the boy(friend) relies on an installed software to stay informed about said girlfriend’s communications. She on her part was fully aware of her phone being under his watch and could do nothing about it. The lack of trust was as much a problem as the girl’s complete lack of any agency or power in this relationship.
- Age vulnerability: The teenaged girl’s body language revealed her fear surrounding the whole situation. She appeared nervous. She did not want to show her mobile phone to us once. She looked fearful, and unsure about whether she was revealing too much. I can’t be sure but she must have felt trapped between seeking help for herself and protecting her boyfriend. This can’t have been easy on her at all. And although she took down our numbers, I doubt she overcame her fears or got any real help. She did not contact any of us thereafter, nor did anyone claiming to be her best friend.
Moreover, everything was compounded because of their age. Can one approach parents or teachers in such cases? Where can one turn to for reliable help? There are no good answers to this question. - Grounds for further exploits: Although not in this case, I am aware of similar instances where photo-morphing and blackmail are often next steps of crime. Such incidents rarely ended with merely a silent, passive, non-obtrusive surveillance. The whole point of gathering information after all was so it can be a source of power over the person.
Working in Vidarbha opened my eyes in the direction of everyday problems.
Harassment and cyber-bullying were much more common than I had initially thought. Especially in tier 2 cities, smaller towns and villages. I wondered about whether as a society we have been completely unprepared for the onslaught of spyware apps, threats, misinformation and problems that accompany the benefits desired from the use of technology.
There is little help available. Nobody trustworthy to turn to, when something happens.
Helpline for those suspecting device compromises
One of the ideas our group had, after this incident, was of a helpline for compromised devices/persons, putting our technology skills to use combining it with our passion to work with underserved communities. Hacking was one thing, but rescuing/repairing a device that was suspected to be hacked or compromised? We didn’t know of anyone already doing this. Probably rare/hard because of the tremendous trust required. In my experience, people are more scared to share a compromised phone – even if it is for getting it checked/examined. People are often worried about further exploitation/vulnerability.
Potential for an NGO or a civil society institution
An NGO could become a trustworthy, reliable avenue for regular redressal for people facing such unique problems. Impact and results could be measured by a few metrics, for example: how many cases were coming in over a period of time; how many could be “solved” – devices that could be cleansed off any spyware found. This could also serve as a source of insights on a new but emerging field of problems with social media and technology. One could learn about what categories of problems/crimes were most faced by which age groups or with what social locations.
If you haven’t already, you can read my previous story about a Facebook scam or the workshops I was holding in Vidarbha.
And if you know of anyone who should be reading this story – do share it with them.
Not sure if there are any youtube videos which help people uninstall these spyware apps, if not then why not create such videos and share with the attendees so either they can do it themselves or they can share with others (who might not have been able to attend your sessions).
That’s a good suggestion. I think there are videos on YouTube showing how to identify if there is a spyware app on your phone – what signs to watch out for, etc. Another point is, my sessions have been mainly for people who, for many reasons, do not usually consume such content especially if it’s in English. And for whom an offline, in-person approach, delivered-in-their-native-language works better. A third and final point.. creating content on YouTube is something I’m personally still not well-versed with, I must confess! 🙂 Maybe for the future. 🙂