For years, defenders of civil liberties they have criticized companies called “stalkerware,” an obnoxious subset of the surveillance industry that sells products designed specifically to invade people’s lives and spy on them. How multiple reports have shown that these products are frequently used by abusers and persecutors to commit serious privacy violations against their victims.
To an extent that seems to indicate repression against these companies, the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday unanimously voted to ban a surveillance industry, along with its owner. King’s support, which was described as “SpyFone” and led by CEO Scott Zuckerman, will no longer be able to distribute marketing materials or make future sales. according to a press release published by the agency. As part of the agreed settlement, the company will also be required to remove data illegally collected through its products and notify people. which he had been watchingd, the agency said.
For years, SpyFone has sold several Android-based apps that allow users to covertly monitor the phones on which they are installed. According to the FTC, although SpyFone products are marketed as a way to monitor the activities of children and employees, they were often used by abusive people to target people who harassed and made them worse. After being installed on a person’s device, the apps allowed full tracking of their activities, including phone call logging, texting, Internet search history, and more.
“The company’s applications sold real-time access to its secret surveillance, which allowed harassers and domestic abusers to stealthily pursue the potential targets of their violence,” the FTC said in a statement.
In addition, the company is accused of poorly protecting the data it collected about customers. Apparently, the company left terabytes of sensitive user data exposed to the Internet, allowing a bad actor to steal information about 2,200 consumers in 2018, the FTC said. The company later pledged to improve its security, but ultimately failed to do so, according to federal officials. “SpyFone’s basic lack of security also exposed device owners to hackers, identity thieves and other cyber threats,” the agency wrote.
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In a statement, FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra said the ban also did not prevent SpyFone or Zuckerberg from facing “possible criminal liability.” He added that he hoped that other law enforcement agencies would take charge of cracking down on the stalkerware industry:
While this action was worthwhile, I am concerned that the FTC will not be able to significantly crack down on the underground world of harassment applications through our civil enforcement authorities. I hope that federal and state authorities will examine the applicability of criminal laws, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the Wiretapping Act, and other criminal laws, to combat illegal surveillance, including the use of services. of robbery.
Samuel Levine, acting director of the FTC’s Office of Consumer Protection, had even harsher criticism for sharing about the company.
“SpyFone is a blatant brand for a surveillance business that helped stalkers steal private information,” he said in a press release. “The stalkerware was hidden from device owners, but was fully exposed to hackers exploiting the company’s security. This case is an important reminder that surveillance-based companies pose a major threat to our security. We will be aggressive in seeking surveillance bans when companies and their executives flagrantly invade our privacy. ”
We contacted SpyFone for feedback and will update this story if we receive news.