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Senators call for an investigation of 'stalking apps'
A bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Sens. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), pressed the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday to investigate smartphone "stalking apps" that allow users to track a person's location and access messages without their knowledge.
The lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz asking them to investigate whether these apps are legal.
"Stalking apps are dangerous," the senators wrote. "We ask that you quickly determine if they are also illegal. If so, we ask that the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission use their full force to investigate and prosecute those behind the development and marketing of these products for illegal stalking."
Someone who installs a "stalking app" on a victim's phone can access that person's voicemails, text messages, and emails and can track the person's location using the phone's Global Positioning System technology.
"Anyone who leaves their mobile phone alone for five minutes could have stalking software installed without their knowledge," the lawmakers wrote.
The apps run secretly on the victim's phone and are advertised as being "undetectable," the senators claim.
"Worried about your spouse cheating?” one app website asks, according to the letter. “Track EVERY text, EVERY call and EVERY Move They make Using our EASY Cell Phone Spy Software.”
The lawmakers pointed to an incident in which a Minnesota woman entered a domestic violence program and received a text message from her abuser within minutes asking why she was in the county building. Authorities later concluded the man was using a location tracking app or service.
According to Justice Department statistics, 26,000 people are victims of GPS stalking every year.
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