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First criminal case: Pakistani charged with selling spyware

Charges leveled against 31-year-old Hammad Akbar, of Lahore were billed by the US Department of Justice


Afp October 06, 2014 Less than a minute read

SAN FRANCISCO: US prosecutors on Monday indicted a Pakistani man for marketing a StealthGenie application that could be used to secretly spy on calls, texts, and other activity on smartphones. Charges leveled against 31-year-old Hammad Akbar, of Lahore were billed by the US Department of Justice as the first-ever criminal case centered on the advertisement and sale of an app tailored to spy on smartphones. “Selling spyware is not just reprehensible, it’s a crime,” assistant attorney general Leslie Caldwell of the Justice Department criminal division said in a release. “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.” Akbar is chief executive of InvoCode, a company that advertises and sells StealthGenie online, according to the indictment.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1st, 2014.

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