SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
The head of a Pakistani company which created an app called StealthGenie allowing users to spy on other people's mobile devices was indicted on US criminal charges, officials said Monday.
The Justice Department said the indictment of Hammad Akbar, 31, of Lahore, Pakistan, is the first-ever criminal case concerning the advertisement and sale of a mobile device spyware app.
Akbar is chief executive of InvoCode Pvt Ltd, which advertises and sells StealthGenie online and which uses a data center based in Virginia.
The app enables the monitoring of voice calls and chats on mobile devices such as the Apple iPhone and Android handsets.
According to officials the business plan of the group was to market the app to people who suspected cheating by a spouse or partner.
(Score: 2) by fnj on Tuesday September 30 2014, @05:26PM
So how does the US Justice Department propose to bring this low life to justice? I imagine they could go after the "data center" in the US and maybe nab him if he is crazy enough to visit the US, but otherwise?
Now, what is a "data center" and why would would a criminal residing in another country want one in the US?
(Score: 2) by hoochiecoochieman on Tuesday September 30 2014, @06:04PM
Come on, it's Pakistan! They'll send a drone after him. If it doesn't work, then they can send the SEALs.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by PinkyGigglebrain on Tuesday September 30 2014, @06:08PM
It doesn't sound like this guy was a criminal before the indictment, just a business man with a plan to sell software.
This might just be the US government trying to keep the general population from really thinking about how easy it is to spy on a cell phone.
Consider this, most people don't worry about the US governments ability to spy on them because they don't think they are interesting enough to be spied on by the government or they just don't care that some faceless pleb they will never meet knows they are screwing the bosses wife. But with this app they would have to worry about the girlfriend they are cheating on or the creepy guy in the next cubicle being able to monitor them.
When it gets personal people start paying more attention and taking action, like using encrypted phones, that would also make it hard for the government to monitor everyone without a warrant.
Like the old saying goes, the reason the government hates organized crime is because they hate the competition.
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 3, Informative) by Sir Garlon on Tuesday September 30 2014, @06:33PM
The United States has an extradition treaty [internationalextraditionblog.com] with Pakistan.
But that doesn't matter in this case, because according to TFA, the suspect was arrested in Los Angeles.
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
(Score: 2) by PinkyGigglebrain on Wednesday October 01 2014, @01:12AM
I think the big question is;
Did this guy do anything illegal in Pakistan when he sold the software?
If no then what the hell is the US government doing prosecuting him for it?
Oh wait,
that's right, the USA thinks their laws apply EVERYWHERE.
Anybody else remember Dmitry Sklyarov
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._ElcomSoft_and_Sklyarov [wikipedia.org]
"Beware those who would deny you Knowledge, For in their hearts they dream themselves your Master."
(Score: 2) by monster on Wednesday October 01 2014, @03:09PM
They may have a leg on the charges:
Apart from the datacenter angle, the company is selling the product to USA nationals and being "delivered" in USA soil, so it can be legally prosecuted. It would be like a smuggler selling drugs across the border from a country that don't consider drugs to be illegal: If he keeps the sales in his country US laws wouldn't have standing to reach him, but once his transactions enter the USA he's fair game. And since he was arrested at LA, that's correct too, no extradition required.