Fighting crime with spyware

Monitor the activities of your workers and guard against industrial espionage.

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In the previous articles we have discussed spyware – both as a useful tool for monitoring the online activities of your children and software that can be used against you. This week I want to take a closer look at a topic I touched on briefly previously – using spyware to monitor the activities of your workers.

Any sort of farming offers an opportunity for theft, from stock to fruit to fleeces. Also, according to a recent press release from itweb.co.za: “Industrial espionage is a huge economic activity involving both state and private business entities”, and many large farming operations may be concerned they are being bugged or important information is being leaked to competitors.
One way to combat, or at least curb, illegal activities is to issue employees with smartphones. These would be workers in positions of authority that make them prey to temptation or intimidation from outside sources.

The law is on your side
When presenting an employee with the smartphone, warn him or her that the phone belongs to you and you are therefore legally entitled to keep track of usage and the location of the phone at any time. The information supplied by such spyware will make the police investigation easier should a crime occur. Because you own the phone, you can give the police permission to access phone logs or other sources of information.

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See how it works
The website www.bit.ly/spydemo will give you an idea of what a spyware phone monitoring platform looks like and how it works with various phones. Have a look before buying your own program. Spyfly.co.za’s mobile spyware will set you back R1 550 a year to R2 750 a year, depending on which system you choose. The website toptenreviews.com, meanwhile, offers in-depth reviews and comparison of the best spyware programs available.

If you suspect someone might be spying on you, intertel.co.za will check your mobile and debug it if neccessary. As mentioned before, it is imperative that you use spyware monitoring tools according to the law. If you are uncertain, get legal advice first – iscafrica.net offers several useful resources in this regard.