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.
Akbar was charged in the indictment with conspiracy, sale of a surreptitious interception device and related charges.
He was arrested in Los Angeles last week and was to appear before a magistrate judge in federal court in California, according to a Justice Department statement.
"Selling spyware is not just reprehensible, it's a crime," said Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell.
"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."
The indictment alleges that StealthGenie allowed the purchaser to monitor a person's incoming and outgoing voice calls, e-mails and SMS messages, and provided access to voicemail messages, address books, photographs and videos on the device.
StealthGenie is among several apps that can monitor activity of a mobile device. The company's website was shut down by court order, but a cached version included a disclaimer saying the software must not be used to monitor the smartphone of anyone over 18 without their written consent.
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Let's take a minute. And understand.
Is StealthGenie the only spying app available online? No. Are there more, better renowned apps available? Yes. Do these apps have different origins? Yes. Then why was only StealthGenie targeted? Simple. It's Pakistani.
It's understandable that the other apps like mobistealth.com, mspy.com and flexispy.com have different origins. The only problem US has is that HOW come a Pakistani has come up with such an app and are now afraid that StealthGenie may have data from American users. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous!
Perhaps a good candidate to work on NSA payroll for free!!
US govt. does not like competitors in the business of stealing data. He should be hired in NSA
Another Genius Pakistani. Proud of you bro. Pakistan Govt. should immediately ask US to handover this guy to Pakistan. He should be working for Pakistan security and intelligence.
We need more creative and intelligent people like him to be utilised in a right manner, rather than losing them by sending them to other countries for bread and butter. They should be paid well in Pakistan.
India is behind this.........
There are many companies selling this same software and have been doing this for years. This type of software is readily available on the internet, some for less than $50.00. A link to a comparison of 2014 "cell phone monitoring software" is: http://cell-phone-monitoring-software-review.toptenreviews.com/ . A cell phone can be stopped from tracking if it is placed in a Faraday Cage. A Faraday cage is a metal or conductive envelope that completely surrounds the electronic device and stops signals from going into or out of the cage.This can be accomplished by making a pouch out of a metallized ie conductive fabric. Search youtube for detracktor for a demonstration.
These prosecutors are really scraping the bottom of the barrel. Why don't they ban all the spy shops and other companies selling all sorts of monitoring equipment and apps to the public ? I am waiting for the inevitable connection to terrorism to rear its head, given that said individual is a Pakistani.
A quick Google search reveals there are other companies making competing products. Why hasn't their CEOs been arrested ? Add to the fact that reviews at this location http://www.mblstealth.com/main/ say that it doesn't even work as advertised. (The reviews could be by a rival company)
What is missing from this article is that the app needs to be installed manually on the phone and in order to do that someone has to have access to the phone being monitored. Its not like you buy the app and can start monitoring any phone or tracking anyone you choose. Of course, we all know, courtesy of Edward Snowden, that that's the purview of the US government and NSA.
But I thought the US government was spying on everyone's phone calls and messages? If this is illegal then what of the NSA?
"StealthGenie is among several apps that can monitor activity of a mobile device" -- what action was taken on other CEOs?
Another feather in Pakistan's cap! way to go!!
why am i not surprised... spying is our USP... everyday is a shameful existant for us green passport holders