Smart Phone Software
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Government Action
The following describes a pending government action that has been formally brought by a government agency but has not yet been resolved. We are providing a summary of the government's allegations, which have not yet been proven.
As of September 1, 2021:
The Federal Trade Commission banned SpyFone and its CEO Scott Zuckerman 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. 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. In addition to imposing the surveillance-business ban, the FTC's order requires SpyFone to delete the illegally harvested information and notify device owners that the app had been secretly installed.
In a complaint, the FTC alleged that Support King, LLC, which did business as SpyFone.com, and its CEO sold stalkerware apps that allowed purchasers to surreptitiously monitor photos, text messages, web histories, GPS locations, and other personal information of the phone on which the app was installed without the device owner's knowledge. The stalkerware app company not only illegally harvested and shared people's private information, it also failed to keep it secure. The FTC alleges that SpyFone did not put in place basic security measures despite promising that it took "reasonable precautions to safeguard" the information it illegally harvested. Moreover, after a hacker accessed the company's server and obtained personal data of about 2,200 consumers in August 2018, the company promised purchasers that it would work with an outside data security firm and law enforcement authorities to investigate the incident. The FTC, however, alleges that the company failed to follow through on this promise.
In addition to banning Support King and Zuckerman from offering, promoting, selling, or advertising any surveillance app, service, or business, the proposed settlement requires them to delete any information illegally collected from their stalkerware apps. It also orders them to notify owners of devices on which SpyFone's apps were installed that their devices might have been monitored and the devices might not be secure.
For more information, contact:
Media Contact:
Juliana Gruenwald Henderson
Office of Public Affairs
202-326-2924
Staff Contact:
Jacqueline Connor
Bureau of Consumer Protection
202-326-2844
LINK: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2021/09/ftc-bans-spyfone-and-ceo-from-surveillance-business
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