Can writing software be a crime? - SecurityFocus - A reading of the indictment makes the answer appear to be yes. - "Loverspy was a computer program designed and marketed by Mr. Perez for people to use to spy on others. Prospective purchasers, after paying $89 through a web site in Texas, were electronically redirected to Perez’s computers in San Diego, where the “members” area of Loverspy was located. Purchasers would then select from a menu an electronic greeting card to send to up to five different victims or email addresses. The purchaser would draft an email sending the card and use a true or fake email address for the sender. Unbeknownst to the victims, once the email greeting card was opened, Loverspy secretly installed itself on their computer. From that point on, all activities on the computer, including emails sent and received, web sites visited, and passwords entered were intercepted, collected and sent to the purchaser directly or through Mr. Perez’s computers in San Diego. Loverspy also gave the purchaser the ability remotely to control the victim’s computer, including accessing, changing and deleting files, and turning on web-enabled cameras connected to the victim computers. Over 1,000 purchasers from the United States and the rest of the world purchased Loverspy and used it against more than 2,000 victims."