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Mobile App Spyware Developer Indicted on US Charges

posted by LaminatorX on Tuesday September 30 2014, @05:15PM   Printer-friendly
from the You-got-served! dept.

n1 writes:

Phys.org reports:

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.

 
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  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Techwolf on Tuesday September 30 2014, @06:21PM

    by Techwolf (87) on Tuesday September 30 2014, @06:21PM (#100071)

    Will the Justice department go after the NSA next? They been creating and using spyware apps for a lot longer then these guys.

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  • (Score: 2) by Sir Garlon on Tuesday September 30 2014, @06:37PM

    by Sir Garlon (1264) on Tuesday September 30 2014, @06:37PM (#100079)

    I wish! But the crime in this case appears to be distributing the app, not making it, so the NSA probably didn't violate that particular law.

    --
    [Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.

    • (Score: 2) by MrGuy on Tuesday September 30 2014, @08:45PM

      by MrGuy (1007) on Tuesday September 30 2014, @08:45PM (#100115)

      A spyware app is by definition useless unless you distribute it. Spying on yourself isn't terribly interesting.

      Oh, and throw in violating the CFAA, which we all know is a felony.

  • (Score: 2) by rts008 on Tuesday September 30 2014, @10:42PM

    by rts008 (3001) on Tuesday September 30 2014, @10:42PM (#100146)

    No.

    This is just the NSA eliminating the competition. ;-)