Creator of StealthGenie Arrested

A couple weeks ago, Hammad Akbar, the creator of StealthGenie, a mobile application that allows someone to spy on another person’s cellphone, was arrested by the FBI. He was arrested on charges of conspiracy, sales of surreptitious interception devices, and advertising a surreptitious interception device. Advertised as a way to keep an eye on cheating spouses, monitor teenage children, and employers, anyone can download and install StealthGenie to monitor all activities on a cell phone.

Other than the computer, the cellphone is one of the most used forms of technology. In fact, according Pew Internet, 44% of Americans sleep with their phones so they don’t miss out on texts or messages. We use our cell phone to organize our lives, search for information (let me google that for you), entertain us, and communicate with others – via text, social media, email, and, sometimes, even a phone call. For many of us, survivors included, our cell phone is our lifeline to help, information, and to other people. Cellphone spyware makes it incredibly easy for abusers and stalkers to monitor the activities and location of survivors through their cell phones.

When abusers are stalking their victims’ phones via spyware, it is 24-7 control and abuse. In addition to constant monitoring, abusers often engage in other types of abuse, such as physical abuse, threats, and emotional abuse. The result is that survivors feel completely isolated and cut off from any avenue of help. Everything they say and everything they do is monitored and controlled by the abuser. The trauma and the fear can be overwhelming.

StealthGenie isn’t the only monitoring product out there. There are many similar products available, including mSpy, MobiStealth, Spy Bubble. Some of these products are advertised under the guise of protecting your vulnerable children or protecting your liability by monitoring your employees. Some come right out and encourage users to buy their products to “catch your cheating spouse.” In reality, abusers and stalkers are buying these products to further terrorize and abuse their victims.

We’re glad that the government is cracking down on products that make it easier for abusers to harm victims. For years, when their phones were being monitored survivors would have to get a new phone – a very expensive step – simply to stay safe. Removing these types of products from the market means one less tool for abusers to use to stalk and harass survivors of domestic violence and stalking.

For more information about cell phone safety, visit our Technology Safety & Privacy toolkit. For more information about NNEDV Safety Net’s advocacy work on cell phone privacy and safety, watch Cindy Southworth, Vice President of NNEDV’s testimony at the Location Privacy Protection Act of 2014 hearing. 

New Resources Help Programs Choose the Right Database

Victim service providers across the country are grappling with the same challenge – what kind of database will allow them to properly track records without compromising the privacy of survivors?

There isn’t a simple answer for this question. Choosing and implementing a safe and secure database is a complex process. Fortunately, we have created a series of resources to help programs choose and maintain a database that upholds confidentiality to the extent required by law and best practice.

The Safety Net Team and Confidentiality Institute have gathered information from many database companies that is specifically pertinent to privacy for domestic and sexual violence programs.  Standard questionnaires have been completed by the companies to allow programs to compare the database products side-by-side, and each company participated in a recorded webinar presentation that dives deeper into their policies and processes for securing data.

In addition, some new resources have been developed to help programs narrow down what they are looking for. The handout, “5 Characteristics of a Secure & Victim-Centered Database” explores the key elements to selecting a database that takes into account survivors’ privacy needs and the confidentiality obligations of programs.

You can access these resources by visiting Safety Net’s Selecting a Database section of our Agency’s Use of Technology Best Practices & Policies Toolkit.

For more information on confidentiality obligations, including various templates to use within partnerships, also visit www.nnedv.org/tools. 

Technology Summit 2014 Starts Today!

Today is the first day of our 2014 Technology Summit in beautiful San Jose, CA. We are so excited to welcome advocates, law enforcement, and attorneys from all over the country, Guam, Canada, and Australia! The morning opened with remarks from NNEDV president and CEO Kim Gandy and Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez, and the day will continue with presentations on what service providers need to know when abusers misuse technology to abuse, stalk, and harass.

In our 15 years of working on this issue, the most important thing that we’ve learned is how critical it is for everyone to work together and be a part of this conversation. The collective knowledge, skills, and expertise of everyone are needed to address the multifaceted needs of survivors and move forward towards an end to violence.

We are so thrilled to have so many people dedicated to supporting victims of domestic and sexual violence and stalking join us. To all our attendees, and all the advocates and service providers working to help victims, thank you for what you do every day. You never know how many lives you’ve changed in your work. The work you do not only changes the lives of women and men you serve, but their children’s lives and their children’s lives. Thank you for getting up every day and doing this important work.

We are looking forward to 3 more days of expert trainings and information from all 27 of our amazingly brilliant presenters. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, #techsummit14, to follow the conversation.