Stalkerware tycoon reported to pay a major fine and told to also alert victims. Multiple spyware apps are singled out as targeting victims all over the globe.
Stalkerware Tycoon Reported To Pay Major Fine
The state of New York has now forced a notorious stalkaware and spyware developer to pay up a major fine and to also notify all of the victims that their smartphones were being monitored steadily without their permission.
The office of New York attorney general Letitia James in a Twitter thread said that spyware vendor Patrick Hinchy has to pay $410,000 for creating and building the tools and then making use of 16 companies to promote them illegally. Hinchy also was said to have been promoting the tools through ads that claimed spying was legal.
Apps Used In Spying On Users
And among the apps, he helped develop were the likes of Easy Spy, DDI Utilities, Auto Forward, Highster Mobile, Surepoint, PhoneSpector, and TurboSpy.
The apps apparently were advertised as a good and better way to keep track of spouses, lovers, or any other person you wished to target. The apps enabled users to track the activities of people on their mobile phones, track their locations, browsing history, call logs, photos, texts, videos, email, and activities on many chatting messaging platforms as well as social media.
Many of the apps developed even helped users to activate both the camera and the microphone of their targets remotely.
The Tweet from the Attorney General’s Office
“Snooping on a partner and tracking their cell phone without their knowledge isn’t just a sign of an unhealthy relationship, it is against the law,” the tweet states. “These apps and products put New Yorkers at risk of stalking and domestic abuse, and were aggressively promoted by Patrick Hinchy through 16 different companies. Today’s agreement will block these companies from allowing New Yorkers to be monitored without their awareness, and will continue our ongoing fight to protect New Yorkers’ rights, safety, and privacy.”
The Websites Used In Promoting the Apps
The websites in question promoting these apps as well as the prices are almost identical across the board DDI Utilities, PhoneSpector, and AutoForward are all almost identical in regards to their design and they also cost the same which is $4.99 for the basic plan, and $6.99 for the Pro plan, Easy Spy, however, would set you back $69.99
