Google has vowed to change its advertising practices after the company was recognized for promoting the use of so-called "stalkerware." Starting August 11, Google announces that it will update its Google Ads Enabling Dishonest Behavior policy to enforce a global ban on advertising spyware and surveillance technology. Stalkerware is a generic term given to software or apps that allow victim devices to be monitored by a third party, including their location and the information they access online.
Google Stalkerware
"The updated policy will prohibit the promotion of products or services marketed or targeted for the express purpose of tracking or monitoring another person or their activities without their permission," Google wrote. The new rules will specifically target spyware ads intended for use against immediate family members or spouses, as well as surveillance equipment such as nanny cams, cameras and audio recorders. However, there will also be some exceptions, including ads for private investigative services and for products and apps used by parents to control or track minors. Google's changes come as research shows an alarming rise in the use of online spying and tracking apps during lockdowns caused by the global pandemic. An Avast report found a 51% increase in the use of online spying and stalking apps worldwide during the lockdown period. Avast also observed a number of COVID-19 related apps designed to spy on users, which collected more information about their users than was necessary to operate. "Stalkerware is a growing category of domestic malware with worrying and dangerous implications," said Jaya Baloo, CISO, Avast. "While spyware and infostealers seek to steal personal data, stalkerware is different: it steals a victim's physical and online freedom. Usually so-called friends, jealous spouses, secretly install them on mobile phones ex peers and even parents involved, stalkerware tracks a victim's physical location, monitors Internet websites visited, text messages, and phone calls, infringing on an individual's individual and online freedom." Via BleepingComputer