Remember the case of CyberSpy?
They are the firm I blogged about last month, after they were ordered by a court to stop selling their RemoteSpy program which allows users to keep a close eye on what is going on on a remote PC.
The Federal Trade Commission had claimed that CyberSpy gave customers detailed instructions on "how to disguise their spying program as an innocuous file, such as a photo, attached to an email." It was said that when innocent internet users clicked on the disguised file, spyware would install itself silently onto the victims computer, monitoring every keystroke, email and instant message, and making a record of every website visited.
The guys at CyberSpy have been in touch with me, and pointed out that the courts have ruled that they can continue to sell the controversial software.
"The FTC claims our software should be illegal because someone, somewhere might abuse it," says Tracer Spence, CEO of CyberSpy. "But computer monitoring software is just like any other surveillance technology: There is nothing inherently illegal about binoculars, hidden cameras, or directional microphones, for example, but people can use those tools to break the law."
Hmm.. clearly this is a debate that is going to run and run..
Spence has started his own blog, where he discusses the issues surrounding this case. He appears to be very happy that his websites are now back online again as a result of the ruling.
