FTC Bans Spyware Maker SpyFone, and Orders It To Notify Hacked Victims (techcrunch.com) 9
The Federal Trade Commission has unanimously voted to ban the spyware maker SpyFone and its chief executive Scott Zuckerman from the surveillance industry, the first order of its kind, after the agency accused the company of harvesting mobile data on thousands of people and leaving it on the open internet. From a report: The agency said SpyFone "secretly harvested and shared data on people's physical movements, phone use, and online activities through a hidden device hack," allowing the spyware purchaser to "see the device's live location and view the device user's emails and video chats."
SpyFone is one of many so-called "stalkerware" apps that are marketed under the guise of parental control but are often used by spouses to spy on their partners. The spyware works by being surreptitiously installed on someone's phone, often without their permission, to steal their messages, photos, web browsing history, and real-time location data. The FTC also charged that the spyware maker exposed victims to additional security risks because the spyware runs at the "root" level of the phone, which allows the spyware to access off-limits parts of the device's operating system. A premium version of the app included a keylogger and "live screen viewing," the FTC says.
SpyFone is one of many so-called "stalkerware" apps that are marketed under the guise of parental control but are often used by spouses to spy on their partners. The spyware works by being surreptitiously installed on someone's phone, often without their permission, to steal their messages, photos, web browsing history, and real-time location data. The FTC also charged that the spyware maker exposed victims to additional security risks because the spyware runs at the "root" level of the phone, which allows the spyware to access off-limits parts of the device's operating system. A premium version of the app included a keylogger and "live screen viewing," the FTC says.
Zucker-nausea (Score:2)
Funny how I feel a little sick whenever I read what someone with a name starting with Zucker does for a living...
Re: (Score:1)
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Which is really bad, because Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker [wikipedia.org] gave us some of the best comedies ever.
Monopoly (Score:5, Insightful)
...because only the US government and major social media platforms are allowed to spy on people.
Now do Zuck (Score:1)
unanimously voted to ban [...] its chief executive Scott Zuckerman from the surveillance industry
Cool. Now do Zuckerberg.
Looks like a politician got exposed. (Score:1)
The part where they are "accused", and then ruled without a trial.
I know this is scummy software, but we should *not* allow *only* the government to have their scummy software and us little people banned from it.
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That's how many government departments work, as a magistrate court. Usually, there is an appeals process.
Just like not allowing only the government to have grenades and Surface-to-Air Missiles. The USA has enough trouble with Fuck-the-World types taking their anger and guns down to a local, no-guns school. Allowing individuals to be equal to the government is a bad idea. The result won't be family feuds won by carpet-bombing all your relatives, it will be corporations carpet-bombing entire cities.
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How does the FTC get to really have an angle on this?
That's how it works. If you organize your business as a corporation, then you're under the regulatory purview of the FTC.
Here, the FTC is alleging in civil court cases that these two companies violated consumer protection law. It is important to note that the company charter did not get up out of the drawer and violate these laws; the executives made illegal decisions, that (by definition) the company charter wouldn't have wanted to do. That's because part of filing the paperwork to register a corporation,