[1][2] The term was coined when people started to widely use commercial spyware or monitoring software to spy on their spouses or intimate partners.
apply the term stalkerware to any software (malicious programs and legitimate commercial monitoring products) that can be used or potentially be used for stalking.
[15] Galperin has advocated for stalkerware to be seen as malware, and for phone and software companies to take steps to safeguard against the use of such programs.
The European Institute for Gender Equality released a report on stalkerware and cyberstalking's connection to domestic violence.
[20] The news organization Vice publishes "When Spies Come Home", an investigative series about the use of stalkerware, and various controversies surrounding the industry.