Founder of Spyware Maker pcTattletale Pleads Guilty to Hacking and Advertising Surveillance Software
pcTattletale founder Bryan Fleming pleads guilty to hacking and selling illegal surveillance software—marking a major U.S. crackdown on stalkerware.
Matilda
Founder of Spyware Maker pcTattletale Pleads Guilty to Hacking and Advertising Surveillance Software
pcTattletale Founder Pleads Guilty in Landmark Stalkerware Case In a major victory for digital privacy advocates, Bryan Fleming, founder of controversial spyware company pcTattletale, has pleaded guilty to federal charges tied to the illegal sale and advertising of surveillance software. The guilty plea, entered in a San Diego federal court on January 6, 2026, marks the first successful U.S. prosecution of a stalkerware operator in over a decade—and sends a strong signal that covert spying on partners, family members, or employees won’t go unchecked. Credit: pcTattletale / YouTube (screenshot) What Is pcTattletale—and Why Was It Illegal? pcTattletale was a surveillance app that marketed itself as a tool for “monitoring loved ones” but functioned as classic stalkerware: software designed to secretly track a target’s digital activity without consent. Once installed—typically by someone with physical access to the victim’s device—the app recorded everything from text messages and call logs t…
