Family Locator...Am I being Stalked?!

[rjm1969]

I was checking "My Services" on my cellphone under "My Account" and it said "Family Locator". The Account is in my boyfriends name and I am just a user with no access. Anyway, I'm just curious, because I had never seen this before, does this mean he's following me or checking up on me? I don't usually go anywhere, but I have noticed that if I leave the house he calls me almost immediately to engage in "small talk". Also, curious if he could monitor my text messages? Like could he read anything I've written or have been sent from the internet or some other tracking? I might sound crazy, but I just seem creeped out by it.

[Axis]

Yea... he's a Stalker ................

......am the survivor of a thousand psychotic wars..........Axis 

[Straykan]

Family Locator essentially allows him to determine your location at any point in time, or to have the phone notify him if you enter or leave certain geographical locations at a certain time of day. I like to call it VZStalker 😛 In short: he's keeping tabs on where you are. And no he can't read your text messages, those are protected content under the FCC's privacy laws.

[Zehan]

The phone should alert you when it's tracking though. Plus, unless he's locked it without you knowing, you can change the location setting under phone settings from "Location On" to "E911 Only." That will stop the locator service from working. If he HAS locked the setting, then he'll have some explaining to do either way.

[scottiemom]

If you want to be somewhere, that you don't want him to know about, just turn off your phone.  The system shows him "unavailable" and he can't tell if your phone is on or off through the computer.  BUT, if he tries to call you he will know the phone is off.  But, you can always tell him you were in a bad area.

[lalalamesss]

You would have to have it downloaded on your phone. It would be listed. Just turn Location On to E911 and ... VOILA! No stalker boyfriends.

[LeonardM]

Hi,

The Family Locator link in My Services is for YOU TO LOCATE other phones. That has nothing to do with you being located.

In order to be located three conditions must be met:

1) Every time you turn on your device you will be boldly told "Your Phone is currently available to be located by Verizon Family Locator." So if you do not see that you are not being located.

2) Every time you are being located you will be told "Your Phone is currently being located". So if you do not see that you are not being located.

3) If you select the privacy option to "ALWAYS ASK BEFORE BEING LOCATED" then before being located you will be asked "Do you give permission to be located."

So it is impossible to be stalked using the Family Locator service available for $9.99/month at vzw.com/familylocator

Now if you wish to locate another phone on your family share plan, navigate on your phone to the web, then My Verizon > My Services > Family Locator and then login and you can locate other devices on your family share plan to which you have subscribed.

A good option for a couple which communtes alot is to place arrival & departure updates around airports, trainstations, ports and garages so that you are in touch with one anothers comings and goings. So the traditional "i have arrived" phone call is automatic upon arriving and powering up one's phone.

But the presense of the family locator in your menu does not indicate anything on the part of your boyfriend, EVERY verizon phone can be used to locate other phones and has that option in the menu.