Founder of spyware maker pcTattletale pleads guilty to hacking and advertising surveillance software

Summary

The founder of a U.S.-based spyware company, whose surveillance products allowed customers to spy on the phones and computers of unsuspecting victims, pleaded guilty to federal charges linked to his long-running operation. pcTattletale founder Bryan Fleming entered a guilty plea in a San Diego federal court on Tuesday to charges of computer hacking, the sale and advertising of surveillance software for unlawful uses, and conspiracy. The plea follows a multi-year investigation by agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a unit within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. HSI began investigating pcTattletale in mid-2021 as part of a wider probe into the industry of consumer-grade surveillance software, also known as “stalkerware.” This is the first successful U.S. federal prosecution of a stalkerware operator in more than a decade, following the 2014 indictment and subsequent guilty plea of the creator of a phone surveillance app called StealthGenie. Fleming’s conviction could pave the way for further federal investigations and prosecutions against those operating spyware, but also those who simply advertise and sell covert surveillance software. HSI said that pcTattletale is one of several stalkerware websites under investigation. A spokesperson for ICE did not immediately comment when contacted by TechCrunch, nor did a representative for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, which brought the charges against Fleming. Fleming’s lawyer Marcus Bourassa did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. pcTattletale was a remote surveillance app that had been under Fleming’s control since at least 2016. Stalkerware apps like pcTattletale allow ordinary consumers to buy software capable of tracking people and their data without their knowledge, including romantic partners and spouses, which is illegal in the United States and many other countries. Once physically planted on a person’s phone or computer (usually with knowledge o...