Hammad Akbar, CEO of the company that made a spyware app for smartphones has been arrested over charges of conspiracy and surreptitious interception, according to a press release by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Akbar, a Pakistan native, is the head of UK-based tech firm InvoCode. The company's app, StealthGenie, can be used to intercept phone calls and messages from targeted mobile phones. It operates on BlackBerry, Android and Apple devices.
The user of the app can activate StealthGenie by calling the targeted phone. Once activated, the user can then monitor the calls made by and to the other device.
It can also intercept other sensitive files and information such as SMS messages, email messages, voicemail, contacts from address books, calendar notifications, photographs and videos. The spyware can collect information within a 15-foot radius, RT reported.
Aside from these, the most troubling aspect about the app is that the victim, or user of the targeted phone is completely unaware that his or her mobile activities are being monitored.
InvoCode openly advertised the features of the app through StealthGenie's Twitter account.
Akbar, who was involved in the app's creation, was arrested in Los Angeles on Saturday and was charged with selling and advertising a covert device designed to intercept information. This is the first indictment made by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding spyware apps, according to PC World.
"Selling spyware is not just reprehensible, it's a crime," Leslie Caldwell, the DOJ's assistant attorney general said. "Apps like StealthGenie are expressly designed for use by stalkers and domestic abusers who want to know every detail of a victim's personal life - all without the victim's knowledge."
FBI Assistant Director in Charge Andre McCabe explained spyware apps such as StealthGenie can be used from criminal activities by monitoring a potential victim's everyday activities.
"This application allegedly equips potential stalkers and criminals with a means to invade an individual's confidential communications," he said. "They do this not by breaking into their homes or offices, but by physically installing spyware in unwitting victim's phones and illegally tracking an individual's every move."
"As technology continues to evolve, the FBI will investigate and bring to justice those who use illegal means to monitor and track individuals without their knowledge," McCabe added.
