EarthLink Protection Control Center Blog

This past week I was at a Anti-Spyware Coalition (ASC) conference in Boston. The ASC is an organization made up of the world's most prominent anti-spyware providers as well as key public interest groups committed to combating the rise of unwanted spyware clogging computers and endangering Internet communications.

This group meets every so often to discuss the latest spyware threats, current issues surrounding spyware, and the newest technologies designed to defeat spyware. At this particular meeting we listened to Cindy Southworth from the The National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) speak to us regarding the rise of spyware and its ability to aid perpetrators of domestic violence who use these technologies to further their abusive and controlling behavior.

I never thought about this specific aspect of the danger of Spyware before, but let me tell you it is very very real. Cindy brought in a guest who we'll call "Betty" for the sake of confidentiality and her continued safety. Betty was a victim of domestic violence perpetrated by her former husband (we'll call him Chuck) and father of her children. To make a long story short: Betty's relationship with Chuck started off wonderfully but over the years the abuse started verbally and then moved into the physical realm. It got to the point where Betty was afraid for her life b/c her husband said if she left he would kill the children.

Betty tried to contact her friends via email but Chuck would always seem to know what she was doing while online. He knew what sites she went to (even when she cleared her history), what she typed, and who she corresponded with. All of these activities infuriated Chuck and led to several physical abuse incidents. Little did Betty know that Chuck had installed monitoring software that allowed only him to track ALL of what Betty did online. Betty had no clue she was being watched online b/c this special software hides itself from its victims.

The really scary part is that this software is accessible to anyone. Typing in "Software to spy on Spouse" yields over 600k Google hits. Betty ended up getting out of this terrible relationship but to this day has to be very careful about what she does online. She no longer has a permanent email address, she does not shop or pay bills online, and she is very cautious about what personal information she gives out to anyone. Chuck has no idea where she is but if Betty wasn't careful, little bits of personal information could add up to big pieces which would lead to her location etc.....

As a professional who focuses more on the identity theft angle of spyware this was a wake up call to an area I had not thought about. For more information about domestic violence and the Internet please visit the NNEDV.