'It's an invasion of privacy to track someone without their consent' -Telegraph readers on trust in relationships
Sharing where you are, what you’re doing and who you are with is something most people do freely in relationships. But when your other half tracks your location without your knowledge, that’s when things can get tricky.
That’s what happened to an anonymous author, who in a piece for Stella magazine shared her experience of being tracked by her husband unknowingly via an app after she failed to come home at 10pm as planned. Her husband accused her of cheating when she had actually just been sidelined by a colleague going through a difficult time. Telegraph readers were incensed by this issue and took to the comments section to share their thoughts.
Some viewed the husband’s decision with scepticism, others argued that it can be a helpful tool where someone’s safety is a concern, and some said that if she had nothing to hide then she shouldn’t have been concerned. But where do you stand? Do you ever think it's acceptable to track a partner's whereabouts? Does it say something about trust more generally in a relationship?
Read on to see what your fellow readers had to say and then share your opinion in the comments section below.
'We use an app to know that we are all safe'
@Kenneth Clarke
"My wife, our daughter and I use it so we know that each other is safe, or that one of us is on the way home. No one is tracking anyone. The trust issue is a separate thing! My daughter can turn hers off whenever she wants which does and no one asks why as that would be freaky for her."
'My wife and I use Find My Friends app all the time and encourage it'
@Tim Underhay
"My wife and I use this all the time and we encourage each other to do so, as we have nothing to hide from each other. It’s pretty fun to be able to see with the kids when mummy is on her way home, or when I’m on a business trip they can all see where daddy is in the world, and maybe even learn a bit about the place.
"On the other hand, I guess that secretly switching this on on your wife’s phone might be considered less than honest. Perhaps he had reason for suspicion, reason that may have been left out of the article? I really don’t know, though there are usually two sides to a story."
'An ex put a spy tracker on my laptop unbeknown to me'
@LJ Cartwright
"An ex put a spy tracker on my laptop unbeknown to me until he mentioned an email with content he wouldn’t have known about unless he’d read the email . The irony being it turned out it was him who was cheating and not me. So for those that question why someone would do that to their partner, I would suggest it’s because they can’t actually trust themselves.
"I hope they work it out but confidence is low. If you won’t trust your partner, what’s the point. We are free agents in life and make choices."
'If you have nothing to hide, I really don’t see why tracking offends you'
@Elizabeth Watts
"If you have nothing to hide, I really don’t see why tracking offends you. It is a useful app when one spouse is delayed or just out longer than expected, and the other can alleviate concerns and relax, even able to see that their loved one is on the way home."
'If both parties are trusting enough to be tracked by the other there shouldn’t be a problem'
@Dan Pepper
"Our family sometimes use it to make sure everyone is safely at a destination. We travel quite a bit, often arriving at odd hours of the day, so it’s handy when a text or call won’t do. If both parties are trusting enough to be tracked by the other there shouldn’t be a problem. The underlying issue in this story is the man’s insecurity.
"It might be manifesting as possessiveness, but he’s insecure about something. Could be work related, could be parenting related, could be health related. Ultimately, you’re describing a symptom of a deeper problem. If it wasn’t the app, his insecurity would be manifest through your phone calls or emails. Address the root cause."
'It’s a more distrusting world these days'
@Helen Spain
"Marriage is a partnership of equals as regards respect and appreciation of each other. He was in the wrong but was man enough to apologise.
"It’s a more distrusting world these days. We are being bombarded with tales of betrayal and lost love. Controlling men and women who are so lacking in confidence can only feel superior if they can control the person they are supposed to love and cherish."
'It is an invasion of privacy to track someone without their consent'
@John Giles
"My wife and I can see each other's location at any time, using Google Maps but this is by mutual consent. It is an invasion of privacy to track someone without their consent."
'If you’ve nothing to hide, for safety reasons, I see no issue with it'
@Charlotte Skinner
"That he went onto her phone and activated it without her knowledge is not right. But I think if both parties know it’s happening it can be a safe way of keeping track of where we are. I live in central London and allow my family to see where I am. If you’ve nothing to hide, for safety reasons, I see no issue with it.
"Glad they were able to get through it together."
