FTC: Invasive spyware illegal

ORLANDO, Fla., Nov. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and a Florida company said they are near agreement on appropriate use of spyware that can invade others' computers.

The FTC and the Orlando company, CyberSpy Software, which manufactures a product, RemoteSpy, that gets into other people's computers without their knowledge or approval, informed a Florida U.S. District Court that they have almost worked out computer monitoring arrangements, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Sunday.

The FTC said RemoteSpy customers were provided with instructions on how to disguise the spyware as a file that could be attached to an e-mail. When the recipient opened the file, the keylogger software would be secretly installed.

The FTC's action against CyberSpy Software is the pioneer case against a keylogger spy ware company selling to the general public, Rick Quaresima, FTC assistant director of the advertising-practices division, said.

The company says it sells a legal product with legitimate uses such as giving parents surveillance of their children's computer usage, but opponents say it is a tool for thieves to easily steal money and identity electronically, the newspaper reported.

"It is illegal surveillance in many states," Heather West, a policy analyst for the Washington-based Center for Democracy and Technology that coordinates the Anti-Spyware Coalition, adding that those who buy spy ware may be exposed to both People who purchase spyware can be exposed criminal and civil liability.