Applications sourced from alternative sources to official app stores are known as ‘sideloaded apps’. Sideloaded parental control apps differ from those in the Google Play or Apple App Store because they are not bound by protective regulatory and vetting processes. A comparative analysis of apps has raised significant concerns, particularly about sideloaded parental control apps on Android devices, noting their similarities to stalkerware, the misuse of privacy permissions, a lack of encryption, and regulatory non-compliance. The study, “Surveillance Disguised as Protection,” published in the *Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies*, highlights the hidden dangers these tools pose to children and vulnerable users.

Functionally, these apps blur the line between parental control and intrusive monitoring. Unlike in-store apps that feature content filters and screen time limits, sideloaded alternatives often use advanced surveillance techniques like keylogging and remote microphone access which resemble characteristics of stalkerware.