The creator of StealthGenie , a mobile app marketed as a tool for spying on cheating spouses and keeping tabs on children , has been arrested , according to federal authorities . The FBI said the case marks the first time anyone has faced criminal charges for marketing and selling such an app . StealthGenie could monitor calls , texts , videos and other communications on mobile phones without detection . It 's among a handful of mobile applications called `` stalker apps . '' `` Selling spyware is not just reprehensible , it 's a crime , '' said Assistant U.S. Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell . `` Apps like StealthGenie are expressly designed for use by stalkers and domestic abusers who want to know every detail of a victim 's personal life -- all without the victim 's knowledge . '' The app 's website appeared to have been taken down Tuesday morning . Stalker : A creepy look at you online . Hammad Akbar , 31 , of Lahore , Pakistan , was arrested Saturday in Los Angeles and appeared in court Monday . He faces charges of conspiracy , sale of a surreptitious interception device , advertisement of a known interception device and advertising a device as a surreptitious interception device . Authorities indicted him in Virginia , where a data center that hosted StealthGenie is located , an FBI statement said . According to the indictment , users of the app had to access a person 's phone for just a few minutes to install the app . `` As technology continues to evolve , the FBI will investigate and bring to justice those who use illegal means to monitor and track individuals without their knowledge , '' said Andrew McCabe , assistant director in charge of the FBI 's Washington Field Office , in the statement .
A Pakistani man , Hammad Akbar , is arrested in case of spying app . Score: 6 FBI : It 's first time anyone has faced criminal charges for marketing , selling such an app .