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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Comment
Samantha Floreani

Tracking apps might make us feel safe, but blurring the line between care and control can be dangerous

Woman using her mobile phone on a bus
‘Digital monitoring is often presented as a way to create – rather than undermine – a sense of trust’ Photograph: Mika Images/Alamy

Who knows where you are right now? Your friends, your boss? Maybe your parents? How about your partner? According to recent research by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, “nearly 1 in 5 young people believe it’s OK to track their partner whenever they want”.

As a long-term and stubbornly-vocal privacy advocate, I find this alarming. It’s hard to imagine a bigger red flag than someone wanting to keep tabs on my daily movements. It’s not that I’m doing anything remotely secretive: my days are most often spent working from home, punctuated by trips to the bakery – scandalous! But it’s not about whether I have anything to hide from my partner. Everyone ought to have the right to keep things to themselves, and choose when they do or don’t share.

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