ComputerCOP: The Dubious 'Internet Safety Software' That Hundreds of Police Agencies Have Distributed to Families

By Dave Maass, Electronic Frontier Foundation
EFF.org
Oct. 02, 2014

For years, local law enforcement agencies around the country have told parents that installing ComputerCOP software is the "first step" in protecting their children online.

Police chiefs, sheriffs, and district attorneys have handed out hundreds of thousands of copies of the disc to families for free at schools, libraries, and community events, usually as a part of an "Internet Safety" outreach initiative. The packaging typically features the agency's official seal and the chief's portrait, with a signed message warning of the "dark and dangerous off-ramps" of the Internet.

As official as it looks, ComputerCOP is actually just spyware, generally bought in bulk from a New York company that appears to do nothing but market this software to local government agencies.

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