In a second case against stalkerware apps and the first where the FTC has banned a company from doing business, the FTC announced on September 1, 2021, that it has “banned SpyFone and its CEO…from the surveillance business over allegations that the stalkerware app company secretly harvested and shared data on people’s physical movements, phone use, and online activities through a hidden device hack.”
According to the FTC’s press release, “The company’s apps sold real-time access to their secret surveillance, allowing stalkers and domestic abusers to stealthily track the potential targets of their violence. SpyFone’s lack of basic security also exposed device owners to hackers, identity thieves, and other cyber threats.”
The FTC has ordered SpyFone to delete any “illegally harvested information and notify device owners that the app had been secretly installed.”
To learn more about how spyware works and to protect yourself from it, see this consumer-friendly blog post by snoopza.