Hey everyone. I just have a quick question. I live with some pretty sneaky parents who have no issue invading my privacy (they have gotten onto my phone/ Facebook without me knowing and looked at my stuff). So here's my question: what can they see/ access through sprint.com or the bill? I think you can only view texts with a court order, but what about picture mail/ other multimedia messages, internet usage, internet downloads, play store downloads? How much can they see? Their constant snooping has made me extremely paranoid of these issues. Any info? Thanks!
Question about parental access (what can they see?)
- Thread starter jappleseed59
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glazedfaith
Well-known member
Sorry, kid. You'll find little sympathy here. If your parents bought you the phone and pay the bill, they have every right to know you're not using the device and service for sexting and assorted mayhem. Rather than trying to cover your tracks or watch your back, maybe you go out and get a jay-oh-bee and get your own password protected device and service account they can't access? Or you could not use the device for anything you wouldn't want them knowing about, thereby nullifying their snooping attempts.
To answer your question, though, without the device or a court order, there's very little they can see other than who you're calling and messaging and MAYBE whether our not it was a text MMS.
Forgive my snark, I just believe the person paying three bills has a right to know what they're paying for.
To answer your question, though, without the device or a court order, there's very little they can see other than who you're calling and messaging and MAYBE whether our not it was a text MMS.
Forgive my snark, I just believe the person paying three bills has a right to know what they're paying for.
cgardnervt
Well-known member
+1!
But with a simple call to Sprint they will send them copies of texts and MMS. They can also break it down to see how much web surfing you are doing.
TREAT THE PHONE LIKE THE INTERWEBS! Nothing and I mean NOTHING is private! To many people have access to your account to do anything stupid. More than just your parents! Just saying...
Think before you do something is my opinion.
Cheers...
I know how you feel. A mobile phone is a VERY personal device, and despite even my paying my bill and buying my old dumbphone back in highschool, my dad still demanded to dig through my phone.
Despite the fact that I didn't use my phone for things like sexting, it's pretty humiliating to have your dad read all the texts you send to your boyfriend (as in cutsie lovey dovey babble)
Once I turned 18, he's only looked at my phone once(when I got my triumph), when I was having issues with the home wifi. I JUST got the device so no personal information rummaging, he just changed my wallpaper to a live one).
Anyway, the moral of my story, I don't recall the laws regarding it, but if they bought it or pay the bill, don't expect any privacy, they can take the phone and rummage through it if they want- it is their money. But if the phone/bill is your own, you have your rights. Surely, probably not so much or records if you're a minor, but I'm sure you can set your phone up to do what you'd want it to do if stolen. Auto wipe after so many attempts at logging in, use a pin password and change it regularly w/o telling anyone else what it is.
A good way to keep your pin safe but not forget is to maybe sharpie it on your school Id. Dry erase marker and wiping the ink off will remove permanent marker ink.
Again, if you pay the bill and all, I do feel you have earned your right to privacy, because if you have earned your stuff, I'm sure you know the dangers of doing things like sexting.
Sent from my Triumph using Android Central Forums
Despite the fact that I didn't use my phone for things like sexting, it's pretty humiliating to have your dad read all the texts you send to your boyfriend (as in cutsie lovey dovey babble)
Once I turned 18, he's only looked at my phone once(when I got my triumph), when I was having issues with the home wifi. I JUST got the device so no personal information rummaging, he just changed my wallpaper to a live one).
Anyway, the moral of my story, I don't recall the laws regarding it, but if they bought it or pay the bill, don't expect any privacy, they can take the phone and rummage through it if they want- it is their money. But if the phone/bill is your own, you have your rights. Surely, probably not so much or records if you're a minor, but I'm sure you can set your phone up to do what you'd want it to do if stolen. Auto wipe after so many attempts at logging in, use a pin password and change it regularly w/o telling anyone else what it is.
A good way to keep your pin safe but not forget is to maybe sharpie it on your school Id. Dry erase marker and wiping the ink off will remove permanent marker ink.
Again, if you pay the bill and all, I do feel you have earned your right to privacy, because if you have earned your stuff, I'm sure you know the dangers of doing things like sexting.
Sent from my Triumph using Android Central Forums
I actually did buy my phone (and all of my past phones). Also I do have to pay for a sizable chunk of the bill (all but the $10 for the additional line, and it's an EVO LTE so that's kinda a lot)
cgardnervt
Well-known member
Bit if your not on your own plan and your under the age of 18 your parents still hold the rights to check your device.
Now I understand some parents are of the crazy's and are way over protected. When I got my first phone it was under my parents. They never checked my device but they also trusted me. And I didn't have a smartphone back then either. Just your normal full keyboard texting phone!
I hope you get some good information from here and are able to figure out whatever it is your trying too.
I agree with cgardener. If you want to ensure your phone is completely yours, I suggest paying for the bill in FULL. Then you can at least pull the card of "Well I pay the bill and I bought the phone."
Of course they can still pull the "well it's on our plan" card. In which case, there's two things I'd recommend.
1: set up to protect "thieves" from getting into your phone. If they try to get in and whatnot and it wipes itself, you can just say "well I didn't want thieves getting any of of my data; did you know people can use your phone to find out where you live and stuff? It's scary and I don't want that happening to me." type of deal
2: Opting for a prepaid android. Sure you won't have the best of the best android, or even the best signal(probably) but you will have the bill in your name and it will be all your own, no strings attached(and a cheaper monthly bill). Then if they want to get into your phone, you can just note that the phone is in your name AND the bill is in your name.
Even so, both things have flaws, they can ground you(although with option 2, it's less likely that they can/will ground you from your PHONE, because it's all in your name). If they take away your phone provided you own it and such, it's "technically" stolen. You can note that to them if they try that(although if you did that, I don't think it would make your life an easy one xD).
Also, you could just make yourself look like the most boring person EVER(I employed this technique and my dad asked to see my dumb-phone much less often leading up till the time I was 18).
There ARE ways to get a new default launcher to hide any social/journal apps. Quite a few of them free. I do like GO Launcher, it's pretty good at this.
Disconnect facebook, twitter, well any social networks notifications. If they go in your phone and see you have updates, then they will see you have those apps installed. Manual refresh sucks turds, but hey, it saves battery life!
Connect your school email(or personal email) to the phone and use it for mostly educational stuff(and scholarship applications, your job and such). If you have a more juicy email account, for crying out loud, use the web browser(and tell it to not remember your login info xD).
Seldom send texts- tell all your friends to not text anything personal, but to call you if they need to tell you something even slightly inappropriate. Invest in a headset with a mic.
Perhaps DL the mint app for finance tracking and such(make you look financially savvy if you have a bank account, if not go for a ledger app).
I know it sounds stupidly painful to use such a powerhouse of an android in this way(as in not to it's full potential), but if you tell them that they are more than welcome to go through your phone and you look like you're all business and no play(well put a game or two on there) then they may get bored or become proud of you and start to respect your privacy(you might still have to deal with a random check every now and then tho).
Also, if you tell them they can look through your phone, then it puts the whole thing on YOUR terms. It shows you have nothing to hide if they want to snoop, or that you're too smart to let any grizzly details of your life get into their eyes and/or you really have nothing to hide.
Even so, I would advise against posting or sending anything that can get you in trouble.
Of course they can still pull the "well it's on our plan" card. In which case, there's two things I'd recommend.
1: set up to protect "thieves" from getting into your phone. If they try to get in and whatnot and it wipes itself, you can just say "well I didn't want thieves getting any of of my data; did you know people can use your phone to find out where you live and stuff? It's scary and I don't want that happening to me." type of deal
2: Opting for a prepaid android. Sure you won't have the best of the best android, or even the best signal(probably) but you will have the bill in your name and it will be all your own, no strings attached(and a cheaper monthly bill). Then if they want to get into your phone, you can just note that the phone is in your name AND the bill is in your name.
Even so, both things have flaws, they can ground you(although with option 2, it's less likely that they can/will ground you from your PHONE, because it's all in your name). If they take away your phone provided you own it and such, it's "technically" stolen. You can note that to them if they try that(although if you did that, I don't think it would make your life an easy one xD).
Also, you could just make yourself look like the most boring person EVER(I employed this technique and my dad asked to see my dumb-phone much less often leading up till the time I was 18).
There ARE ways to get a new default launcher to hide any social/journal apps. Quite a few of them free. I do like GO Launcher, it's pretty good at this.
Disconnect facebook, twitter, well any social networks notifications. If they go in your phone and see you have updates, then they will see you have those apps installed. Manual refresh sucks turds, but hey, it saves battery life!
Connect your school email(or personal email) to the phone and use it for mostly educational stuff(and scholarship applications, your job and such). If you have a more juicy email account, for crying out loud, use the web browser(and tell it to not remember your login info xD).
Seldom send texts- tell all your friends to not text anything personal, but to call you if they need to tell you something even slightly inappropriate. Invest in a headset with a mic.
Perhaps DL the mint app for finance tracking and such(make you look financially savvy if you have a bank account, if not go for a ledger app).
I know it sounds stupidly painful to use such a powerhouse of an android in this way(as in not to it's full potential), but if you tell them that they are more than welcome to go through your phone and you look like you're all business and no play(well put a game or two on there) then they may get bored or become proud of you and start to respect your privacy(you might still have to deal with a random check every now and then tho).
Also, if you tell them they can look through your phone, then it puts the whole thing on YOUR terms. It shows you have nothing to hide if they want to snoop, or that you're too smart to let any grizzly details of your life get into their eyes and/or you really have nothing to hide.
Even so, I would advise against posting or sending anything that can get you in trouble.
cgardnervt
Well-known member
You could do all of that...Or you can do what I did...Behave your self and enjoy the badass device and cheaper service!
Lol, I behaved myself but still felt like I had no privacy when I was in a situation like the OP. S/he has made no mention of doing "bad" things, and for all we know, s/he could be just talking to their friends about more personal thoughts, and it's kinda like your diary in a sense, not to mention there are diary apps on your mobile.
And seriously, who here has grown up with a mobile, where your parent did or said something to greatly upset ya, and you needed to blow off a bit of steam to a friend?(not saying posting it on facebook). If you never did that, you probably had never lived with em xD
And seriously, who here has grown up with a mobile, where your parent did or said something to greatly upset ya, and you needed to blow off a bit of steam to a friend?(not saying posting it on facebook). If you never did that, you probably had never lived with em xD
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