When you want to find information on someone’s phone, one of the simplest ways to do it is to go through the device. While this may seem like an easy way to find information on someone’s phone, did you know that doing so can land you in hot water? Sure, its legality is a grey area, but there are some cases where it may be illegal to go through someone’s phone.
So, is it illegal to look through someone’s phone? The short answer is that it depends, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Stick around and read this guide to learn more.
Is It Illegal to Look Through Someone’s Phone?
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is that it depends. If you’re looking through the phone or your spouse, friend, or someone else in your family, it can be a gray area, especially if you have consent.
On the other hand, if you’re looking through someone’s phone without consent, it’s usually against the law. This is because digital privacy tends to be protected by state law, and sometimes even federal law.
For these reasons, it’s usually a bad idea to go through someone’s phone without consent; the only exception is if you’re going through your child’s phone.
When Is It Illegal to Look Through Someone’s Phone?
While it’s not always illegal to look through someone’s phone, there are definitely situations where its legality is suspect. Looking through someone’s phone usually becomes illegal when it’s anyone other than your child, and this applies if you own the phone plan.
Let’s say you want to look through your spouse’s phone; your spouse tends to be protected under privacy acts, although these vary by jurisdiction. Essentially, if you’re looking through someone’s phone, and it’s not your device or your child’s, there’s a good chance that it’s illegal.
Of course, there are always exceptions, so make sure you consult with a lawyer before you start looking through someone’s phone.
Can You Find Information on Someone’s Phone Without Going Through It?
Now, if you want to find information on someone’s phone without going through it, the good news is that you have some options. Plenty of tools can help you learn more about someone’s phone, their public records, and online activity. Learn more about the best options below.
UnMask
The simplest option is to leverage a tool like UnMask. You’ll find that UnMask offers a reverse phone lookup that helps you find all available public records associated with a phone number. This can help you find social media accounts, dating profiles, and additional information without having to go through the device.
For these reasons, if you want to find information about someone’s phone without going through it, tools like UnMask may be your best option.
Check Phone Records
Now, if you own the phone plan, you can always check phone records. You can usually find some online search history on your WiFi and some additional information. While you may not be able to view every detail of every phone call or every app downloaded on someone’s device, there’s a lot that you can learn.
In fact, you can find text logs, call logs, data usage, and numbers that are in contact with the phone. Depending on your situation, this may be enough information, and looking at it is completely legal.
Downloading Apps
This one depends on the context. If you want to monitor your child’s phone, for example, it may not be a bad idea to download an app. These are apps that can track data on a phone and then send it back to your device.
In many cases, these apps can be disguised to look like something else, and they may be effective at helping you catch a cheating spouse or something similar.
Is It Illegal to Look Through Someone’s Phone? Our Final Thoughts
So, is it illegal to look through someone’s phone? The short answer is no, but it can be more complicated than that. To avoid any issues, if you want to learn more about someone, it doesn’t hurt to use a tool like UnMask instead.
You can find all available public records associated with someone’s phone, and this can usually help you discover social media accounts, dating profiles, and much more.
For any other inquiries, we recommend speaking with a lawyer because the legality of looking through someone’s phone will often vary based on the state.
