I Know Where You’ve Been: Digital Spying And

Divorce In The Smartphone Age

Brinlee Mackay
Background
● “I know where you’ve been: digital spying and divorce in the smartphone age”, was
first published on January 4, 2018 on the NPR website.
● Written by Aarti Shahani and Lauren Silverman.
● In 2012 it was estimated that 1.5% of all adults in the U.S. were victims of stalking.
● Partners in a breakup will pay $16.99 a month to download an app on a computer
or phone.

-With this app you can see every incoming and outgoing message, web searches, and even
keystrokes.
Introduction
● This article talks about a women named M who was stalked by her ex-husband in
the summer of 2016.

-They refer to her as “M” to keep her identity safe.

● M’s mechanic found a GPS tracker under her front left tire when she took her car in
for maintenance
● M also received forwarded messages from her ex-husband of texts that she had
sent to her friends.

-“I know all of the ways you’ve described me to your friends”.

Ethos
Ethos is defined as a way to convince the audience of the authors credibility.

● Aarti Shahani and Lauren Silverman are able to use ethos in this article because
they are sharing a firsthand experience of someone who has been a victim of GPS
tracking and spyware.
● They added in quotes and surveys from the Justice Department, family court
judges, and lawyers.
● The authors rely on M’s case, other cases, data, and statistics to help prove their
credibility.
Logos
Logos is defined as a means of appealing to the audience by using logic or reasoning.

● Shahani and Silverman were able to add in logos by using evidence from different
studies and surveys.

-“Electronic monitoring of some kind was used on one in 13 victims. This was before iPhones and
the smartphone era.” (DOJ)

● They were also able to talk to other people and lawyers that were involved in some
sort of a stalking case. NPR reviewed two dozen cases that have made their way
into courts.
Pathos
Pathos is defined as a means of persuasion by appealing to an audience’s emotions.

● Throughout the article there were many quotes from M that showed us the fear
and uncertainty that she felt, and makes you fear that this could happen to you.

-“I am now fully aware that all of those times that I thought I was keeping myself safe, all of those
times that I was leaving town, all of those times that I was staying in different places, staying at
friends’ houses, I never was safe”.

-“I’m terrified. I am absolutely terrified, I might still be functioning. But that doesn’t mean I’m not
terrified”.

-In court M explained her fear of both physical abuse and electronic surveillance.
Conclusion
● Overall the writers, Aarti Shahani and Lauren Silverman do a very good job at
making the readers feel fear throughout this article.
● The two of them do a very good job at telling M’s story and giving details.
● They do a very good job at adding in the most important details, and adding in
strong quotes that helps the readers fully understand things that M along with
other people experience with stalking.
● It was very important that they added in data and numbers of the amounts of
stalkings in the past years, to help us fully understand the situation.
● This information is important for us to know and understand so we know what to
look for if we are ever caught in that situation.
Sources
Stuart Kinlough/Getty Images

Shahani, A., & Silverman, L. (2018, January 04). I Know Where You've Been: Digital
Spying And Divorce In The Smartphone Age. Retrieved January 05, 2021, from
https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2018/01/04/554564010/i-know-where
-you-ve-been-digital-spying-and-divorce-in-the-smartphone-age