Everyone is entitled to their privacy and has the prerogative to keep certain aspects of their life private from others. Cellphones are individuals’ personal possessions that most of them like to keep private as they contain private data and information that they consider imperative to keep safe and hidden for various reasons.
Therefore, if we consider the aspect of spying on someone’s text messages with the intent of accessing their private data and personal messages, it would be erroneous and unethical. In most circumstances, it is also not legal to spy on text messages, and one may have to suffer legal implications if a violation is detected.
However, there are certain exceptions to this rule, and in the following section, we will look at instances where it is apt to monitor someone’s text messages and what conditions apply under such circumstances.
When is it ok to spy on text messages?
If you want to avoid the legal repercussions of spying on someone’s text messages, you need to consider the following instances.
Scenario no. 1
As a parent, it often becomes necessary to keep a tab on our child’s activities. So, as a concerned parent, you can spy on your child’s cellphone activity without installing any software. If you want to install tracking software, you can do so without informing your child if they are not of age. However, the phone must be in your ownership if you want to install tracking software.
Sometimes, it is quite beneficial to have such software on your child’s phone. If you are concerned for your child’s safety or want to ensure that they are not exposed to any harm due to their online activities or interactions, you can install spying software (visit here) to keep a tab on their phone logs and text messages.
There are apps with advanced features that allow you to keep a tab on their activities on other digital platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp or Snapchat. Some apps can provide you with the location of the phone through GPS. Such apps can help you keep your child safe and out of harm’s way.
It is important to note that if you have spying software installed on the phone used by your child and an adult uses the phone; you must inform them about the software and let them know that they are being monitored.
Scenario no. 2:
Another instance where you can install spying software on the phone is when you want to keep a check on your employee’s activities during work hours. However, you can only install the spying software if you own the phone, and when you install the spying software, it is obligatory to inform the employee that they are being monitored.
Keeping a check on your employees can be beneficial to you in many ways. Firstly, it will prompt the employees to act responsibly. They will be conscious of being watched and avoid wasting time, which may lead to enhanced productivity.
Moreover, if your nature of work is such where you deal with sensitive data or are concerned that the company secrets that give you an edge may be leaked to your competitors, installing spying software on the phone may help increase accountability and ensure that the sensitive information stays intact.
Therefore if you want to spy on text messages, you can do under the circumstances discussed above. Moreover, the phone must be owned by you, and if the phone is to be used by an adult, they must be notified about the spying tool on the phone.