The FTC finalized an order banning Support King, LLC and its CEO from the surveillance business for selling stalkerware apps that secretly collected and shared users' personal data without consent. The order requires them to delete all illegally collected data and notify affected device owners.
The order bans the company and CEO from offering or selling surveillance apps, requires deletion of all illegally collected data, and mandates notification to device owners whose devices were monitored.
In-house legal teams should review all agreements involving surveillance services, mobile applications, or data collection tools—including vendor contracts with app developers, customer agreements for monitoring services, and data processing addendums. Key clauses to scrutinize are those governing user consent for data collection (especially for sensitive data like GPS locations and communications), data retention and deletion protocols, breach notification procedures, and explicit prohibitions against covert or unauthorized data harvesting. Based on this enforcement action, contracts may require amendments to mandate explicit, informed consent for any data collection; incorporate mandatory data deletion upon termination or request; include clear bans on surreptitious monitoring; and establish obligations to notify affected individuals of data compromises or unauthorized access.
Entity
Support King, LLC
Also known as: Support King
Industry
TechnologyOfficial Press Release
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/12/ftc-finalizes-order-banning-stalkerware-provider-spyware-business
ftc bans spyfone ceo surveillance business orders company de
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2021/09/ftc-bans-spyfone-ceo-surveillance-business-orders-company-delete-all-secretly-stolen-data
Federal Trade Commission Enforcement Page
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement
"Support King, LLC"
"sold stalkerware apps that allowed purchasers to surreptitiously monitor photos, text messages, web histories, GPS locations, and other personal information on the phone on which the app was installed without the device owner’s knowledge."
The FTC banned Support King, LLC (SpyFone) and its CEO from the surveillance business for secretly harvesting and sharing users' data without consent, and ordered the deletion of all illegally collected data and notification to affected device owners. The company failed to secure the data, leading to a hack that exposed 2,200 consumers.
The FTC, Utah, and Nevada sued Lens.com Inc., alleging that it advertised artificially low contact lens prices while hiding mandatory checkout charges and misleading consumers about its AutoRefill subscription. The complaint seeks to stop the alleged practices; the court has not yet decided the case, and no penalty or remedy has been imposed.
The FTC issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking public comment on whether ad-optimization tools offered by online platforms may help scammers impersonate businesses and government agencies. This is a proposed regulatory inquiry, not an enforcement action against a named company; no penalty or remedy was imposed.
$2.5B
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$225.0M
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$100.0M
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