Mobile Spying - An Ethical Practice?

Technology isn't predictable. According to movies fromspying technology had been available back then, would
the 60's and 70's, we should be having flying cars andthey be alive today? Of course, it's impossible to say
personal jetpacks right now. It didn't happen, but weand everything would be just wild guesses, but the
had other technology breakthroughs during this time,ability to find them in a map would have increased their
like the reduction in size of all devices.chances. At the very least, we would have known
Among these new technologies, we now have mobilewhere the last place that their still had their phones
spying. Just by connecting to the Internet, we can nowwith them was.
install a software program on our computers that willIn view of this, if you are sending your child on a trip,
allow us to monitor how a mobile phone is being used.would be unethical to monitor where he or she is?
We will be able to see how many calls were made, toThen there is the matter of text reading. Mobile spying
what numbers, where the person holding the phone istechnology allows you to read any text message that
at any time, etc.is sent or received by the phone (and erasing it won't
As you would expect from such a piece ofdo any good, as they are registered on a log). If you
technology, several people have been opposed tosuspect that your child is into drugs, alcohol, or
mobile spying from the beginning, arguing that it'spregnant (or that his or her friends are), is it better to
unethical. However, like with any controversial issue,read the texts and find out or to respect his or her
there isn't a clear black and white morality about it.privacy?
There are many shades of gray and it depends toThere are no easy answers to these questions, and
each person to draw his or her personal line.it's up to each person to take a position on mobile
For example, while pretty much everyone agrees thatmonitoring. And of course, in addition to monitoring your
mobile spying is wrong just to get information aboutchild, this technology can also serve to check unfaithful
the private life of your friends, what about using it tohusbands, supervise senior parents, check on
find your child if he or she ever gets lost?dishonest employees, etc., all of which bring new moral
Everybody knows the cases of Adam Walsh anddilemmas to the table.
Natalee Holloway and how they ended. If mobile