I Spyware

So on one hand the government is cracking down on the maker of one spyware tool manufacturer with illegal wiretapping charges (the makers of StealthGenie), while the other hand, a fairly large number of police departments (more than 200 departments in 35 states), are handing out spyware that is nearly identical to the banned stuff, for free to parents so they can install it and use it to track their kids on line. Police departments have purchased this with confiscated drug money, not tax payer dollars, and distributed it - spyware called ComputerCOP. Besides the obvious issue of people using ComputerCOP to cyber stalk people other than their own children like roommates, coworkers, or spouses, the spyware transmits data in an insecure method. This can be easily accessed by people with the know-how and technology giving them the opportunity to sniff the unencrypted traffic across a wireless network and capture the content, including usernames, passwords, Social Security numbers and credit card numbers that the target may be typing. In light of these recent revelations about this spyware by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, EFF, parents are now being urged not to use the keystroke logging feature, due to the privacy and security issues. Ever heard of squeezing all the toothpaste out of a tube and then trying to stuff it all back in? Yep, similar problem here with something much larger than a tube of toothpaste.