Page "Spyware" Paragraph 34

Unauthorized access to a computer is illegal under computer crime laws, such as the U. S. Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the U. K .' s Computer Misuse Act, and similar laws in other countries.

Since owners of computers infected with spyware generally claim that they never authorized the installation, a prima facie reading would suggest that the promulgation of spyware would count as a criminal act.

Law enforcement has often pursued the authors of other malware, particularly viruses.

However, few spyware developers have been prosecuted, and many operate openly as strictly legitimate businesses, though some have faced lawsuits.