Google To Remove Stakerware Apps On Play Store After Avast Reported

It sounds a bit awkward if there's an app that could track every move of a user secretly. In fact, researchers have shed a light on those apps - and they're all available on Google Play Store, notably.

On Wednesday, seven apps on Play Store were unveiled as "stalkerwares" by security firm Avast. As compiled figures say, people had installed them over 130,000 times. Right after Avast sent a report to Google, the tech giant had taken them off from its app market - four on Tuesday and the other three on Wednesday, due to the serious privacy violations.

In the meantime, Google claimed that the company's policy does not allow the presence of any spyware app, alongside encouraging users to report them if they found such violations.

First built for decent purposes like finding stolen phones and keeping children safe, stalkerware apps have been misused and abused for allegedly stalking people. Those types of apps can track user data properly and send them back to the abuser, including personal records, contacts, location data, text messages, and call logs.

For instance, the app "Spy Tracker" promotes itself as software designed for children's safety but in contrast, most reviews focus on illegal surveillance. To track every move of the victim, the abuser needs to access his device physically then installing this spyware as well as hiding them from the victim's vision.