A Woman Takes Photos With Her iPhone.
A woman takes photos with her iPhone as Pope Francis delivers his Regina Coeli prayer from the window of the Apostolic Palace in Saint Peter's Square at the Vatican June 1, 2014. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito

Spying on partners or spouses using bugging systems in mobile devices has become an "epidemic." Pressure groups monitoring electronic abuse in the UK warned that women should be cautious of the growing trend of spyware.

According to the The Daily Mail, women are advised to be aware of this practice as suspicious boyfriends, husbands or ex-lovers can find out how their partners use their mobile phones. Due to cheap and accessible software, an electronic spy can hear conversations, read emails, texts and messages on social media. With the help of GPS tracking, the spyware can also locate the mobile device. The unsuspecting owner of the mobile phone may never know that he or she is being monitored.

For less than NZ$200, some devices can be bought in Britain while software in the U.S. can be easily installed for only NZ$100. The Digital Trust group said that some women who leave abusive relationships and seek refuge somewhere they think is safe may not be aware that they can still be tracked using their phones. Mobile spyware can track the victim if the phone is registered to the abuser. The same is also true if they have access to the woman's Google or Apple account or any type of app which has been installed on the phone.

Polly Neate from the Women's Aid Group told The Independent that the organization often hear stories of abusers installing tracking software to phones and spyware on their partners' personal computers. They also use the Internet to find more information about their partner. She said the police may not be trained to recognise and understand the impact of tracking and online abuse. Neate believes that action is "rarely" taken against abusers.

Several laws governing communications offences in UK appear to criminalise people who install spyware apps on a partner or listen to phone conversations without permission. However, the 1998 Data Protection Act only has a maximum penalty of a fine for spying offences. A number of laws may cover spyware such as the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 but it has never been used against a suspicious partner hacking the mobile phone of a woman.

Contact email: r.su@ibtimes.com.au