More than half of Latin Americans have been victims of digital harassment

Latest report Kaspersky’s “The State of Stalkerware 2023” reveals that 52% Latinos have been harassed or suspected of being harassed through a digital tool such as spy apps for cell phones or laptops, smart home devices, and tracking devices. Stalkerware stands out as the software most commonly used for harassment purposes
digital with 24% of respondents affected by this technology.

Stalkerware is an available malware commercially in mobile app stores under the guise of parental control apps or employee management, and it requires physical access to a person’s phone to install.

Depending on the software used, It can be tracked from a device’s location, text messages, social media chats, photos, browsing history, or even by accessing a smartphone’s camera and microphone. Since this tool works in the background, the victims are completely unaware that all their digital activities are being monitored by the perpetrator, who is posing an invisible threat to its victims.

state stalkerware is Kaspersky’s annual report aimed at raising awareness and better understand how digital harassment affects people around the world. Findings from 2023 reveal an increase of almost six percent (5.8%) in the global number of people affected compared to 2022. The figures reverse the downward trend from 2021, confirming that digital harassment remains a global problem. Brazil and Mexico are among the world’s 10 countries most affected by these tools.

Source: The State of Stalkerware 2023 Kaspersky Study also reveals that 52% of Latin Americans claims to have been a victim of harassment or suspects that he has been harassed through a digital tool; of which 44% are men and 45% are women. The main tool of digital harassment is stalkerware, which affects 20% of Latinos, with 20% of men and 19% of women.

In Latin America, 9% of respondents answered that they had “ever” installed an application or made some configuration on their partner’s device; 10% of men admitted to doing so, and 7% of women agreed to participate in this practice. Additionally, 6% of respondents admitted to pressuring their colleagues to install a spy app on their phones. mobile phones, of which 6% are men and 5% are women.

62% of Latin Americans disapprove of the idea of ​​monitoring partners without their knowledge, reflecting the prevailing sentiment against such behavior; 63% of men share this idea versus 61% of women. The other 38% justify it in different scenarios: when it is related to a security issue, if there is suspicion of infidelity or if it is believed that the person could be involved in some criminal activity.

On the contrary, 24% of Latin Americans support complete transparency in relationships and considers consensual control appropriate; In this sense, 24% of men answered against 23% of women, while 9% consider it acceptable only with mutual agreement.

Another revealing figure is that 27% of Latinos said they were worried their partner would violate their digital privacy by asking them Full access to your mobile phone, physically or remotely. Women show more concern at 28% compared to 25% of men.

Some other digital tools used for digital harassment are: web cam access, trackers, laptop appsthrough smart home devices and health monitoring devices.

“Kaspersky updates this report every year to give an insight into the seriousness of this problem and to reiterate that all types of digital harassment are violations of the privacy to which we are all entitled. “Stalkerware should not be considered only a technical problem, it is a form of digital abuse that studies have linked to psychological abuse and domestic violence,” he comments. Carolina Mojica, Head of Consumer Products for North and South Latin America Markets at Kaspersky.

In 2019, Kaspersky was the first cybersecurity company to develop an alert that notifies a discovery commercial spyware on the user’s device. While Kaspersky solutions for many detect potentially harmful applications, such as surveillance or tracking applications years, the notification feature alerts the user to the fact that found an app on your device with the intention of violating your privacy.

In the same year, Kaspersky co-founded the Antistalkerware Coalition, an international anti-stalking and domestic violence task force that brings together private IT companies, non-governmental organizations, research institutions and law enforcement agencies working to combat online stalking and help victims of online abuse. Through a consortium of more than 40 organizations, stakeholders can share knowledge and work together to address cyberbullying. In addition, the Coalition’s website, which is available in seven different languages, provides victims with help and guidance if they suspect they are victims of this invisible threat.

Kaspersky experts share five signs that may indicate that your devices you have a stalkerware application installed:

1. There is an increase in the use of your Mobile data. Occurs because spy apps require internet access to transmit the collected data.
2. Your device’s battery the mobile phone is bad, it takes over very fast or has slow operation. This is because stalkerware applications are running
background.
3. You discover they exist unknown apps on your mobile device and you don’t remember having installed them before.
4. Records background noise suspicious or strange sounds when making calls.
That could be a sign that Maybe they are listening to you.
5. Other people know your private information, for example your locations have you recently visited, conversations that you had with close people or other personal data. Maybe they had access to that data through a spy app.

It is important that if a person discloses presence of stalkerware on your device, do not remove it Well, whoever installed it will know that it is disabled and that it can put the victim in a risky situation. It is highly recommended that the victim seek help through another device, limit the use of their equipment, and document this violation of their privacy.

To protect yourself and reduce the risk of falling victim to stalkerware, Kaspersky shares five basic recommendations:
1. Lock the screen phone with a complex password and don’t share it with anyone, not even your partner, friends or family.
2. Check regularly applications installed on your phone and delete them those you no longer use or need.
3. Disable the option to install third-party apps if you have Android devices.

4. Use protection cyber security on your mobile, like Kaspersky Premium, which protects against all types of mobile threats, including software spy and occasionally scan the device to detect them.

5. Never leave your phone unattended. Enough so a person can physically access it and install stalkerware.