Senators Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) are spearheading an investigation of mobile phone “stalking apps” that enable stalkers to secretly track victims.
Franken and Grassley wrote a letter to the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice on Tuesday urging the U.S. governmnt to determine whether these apps are legal. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) co-signed the letter.
“Stalking apps are dangerous,” the Senators wrote in the letter. “We ask that you quickly determine if they are also illegal.”
Such “stalking apps” enable domestic abusers and stalkers to follow a victim’s movements and location, read a victim’s text messages and emails, and listen to phone conversations without the victim’s knowledge. Many of these apps are marketed to individuals wishing to catch their spouses cheating.
“We believe that in most cases, stalking apps’ intrusion into victims’ privacy and their potential for abuse will far outweigh any legitimate purpose that these apps may serve,” the Senators wrote.
According to 2006 Bureau of Justice Statistics data, around 26,000 Americans are victims of GPS stalking annually, including by cell phone. Advocates suggest that the number is much larger in 2011.