As the Internet advances every day, parents have no idea what their children are doing in cyberspace and are considering the idea of ​​spyware. In the article "The Undercover Parent" by Harlan Coben, he argues that the idea of ​​parents installing spyware on their children's computers is a good idea to keep their children safe. Many American parents have no idea what's going on in cyberspace; sex, bullying and drugs. Parents are torn between protecting their child with spyware and allowing them to maintain their privacy. Coben uses his friends' personal experiences to support his argument without leaving room for counterarguments. By using strong emotional appeals, weak qualifiers, and saccharine word choice, Coben creates a weak argument that lacks persuasion. For starters, many parents look for a connection to the author when it comes to topics dealing with children and privacy. Coben's target audience is parents of teenagers. Coben says "loving parents are doing surveillance here, not faceless bureaucrats" to slowly unhook any minds that aren't already on board with the spyware. Mention of pedophiles, pornography and teenage drug use are emotional appeals that will touch parents. Coben does a good job of identifying his audience but fails to establish credibility. In some cases, Coben was unrealistic, take for example a "straight A" teenager who sleeps with her drug dealer and uses drugs will attract the parents' attention, but the father's reaction may cause them to hesitate in their reasoning. Few parents in their right mind would calmly go up to their daughter and just talk to her, there would be more screaming and rebellion. People need the truth, just write it down and downplay playing a serious situation because an after school sitcom will make people lose... middle of paper ... son's daughter friend, it would not have the same effect. . Coben down plays pornography but still grabs the reader's attention by saying "hardcore porn sites". Many mothers will be quick to react to such a statement. Having good adjectives is exceptional, but this should not be used as an argument, there should be solid evidence. Overall, Coben did a great job of finding and trying to connect with his target audience. With more details, Coben could have had a great argument that would have made parents everywhere want to install spyware for their children. It failed to establish its credibility and weaken its overall objective. The failure to identify a counterargument made his argument completely one-sided and biased. The sugary words, emotional appeals, and qualifier might hold up, leaving readers doubtful and a little confused about the article as a whole..