Leaked information reveals that politicians, police and civil servants are using smartphone tracking apps
Help desk information for a monitoring and tracking tool that is advertised as 'software for parents to safely track their children' has been leaked. Cam Wilson, a reporter for news media Crikey, obtained the information from a hacker and exposed how these tools are being used.
israeli national police found trying to purchase stalkerware - #FuckStalkerware pt. 7
Australian politicians, police subscribe to stalkerware service
https://www.crikey.com.au/2024/07/02/stalkerware-australian-politicians-police/
In June 2024, over 150GB of data was leaked from a company called mSpy, exposing over 5 million help desk conversations created by 2.5 million users.
mSpy is a company that has been selling monitoring and tracking tools since 2010. While these tools are typically used to monitor children, there is also a risk that they could be used to investigate cheating partners or monitor family members as part of domestic violence. Wilson writes, 'Recording someone without their consent is generally illegal, and selling something that makes it easier to do so could be a criminal offense.'
Wilson, who reviewed the leaked information from mSpy, said that mSpy had received a small number of support requests from government email addresses, including one that asked, 'Can I remotely log into my partner's device?' The question was identified as coming from a New South Wales Corrective Services officer in Australia.
The report also showed that local government officials were dissatisfied, saying, 'We expected information to be updated every 10 minutes, but instead information is only provided on a daily basis.'
There were other requests that appeared to be from government officials, but Wilson said, 'We will not disclose their names because the circumstances are unclear. mSpy can be used for legal purposes, and we cannot determine how the mSpy software was used.' Wilson added, 'This data leak shows that public officials are openly interacting with stalkerware companies through government email accounts, despite the need for high professionalism and ethics.'
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