Secret Service Investigates Installation of Spy Software on Apple Store Macs

The Secret Service is investigating the installation of spy software on Apple Store computers by an artist named Kyle McDonald, according to Mashable.

McDonald installed a program on around 100 computers in two New York Apple Store locations that automatically took a photo every minute and sent it to his server. The photos were used in a project to capture people's expressions as they stare at computers.

"I thought maybe we could see ourselves doing this we would think more about our computers and how we're using them," he says.


Since Apple wipes their computers every night, McDonald had to go back and reinstall the spyware each day. A collection of the photos were then uploaded to a Tumblr blog (http://peoplestaringatcomputers.tumblr.com/), a video was created, and last Sunday he set up an authorized "exhibition" at the Apple Store. During this exhibition people were shown a picture of themselves when looking at computer followed by photos of other people.

McDonald realized that Apple had caught on to his software when he received a photo of an Apple technician who apparently traced the network traffic to the site McDonald used to install his program, and installed it himself.

This morning McDonald was woken up by four Secret Service men in suits who produced a search warrant for computer fraud and confiscated two computers, an iPod, and two flash drives. McDonald was told that Apple would contact him separately.

McDonald believes he has not violated any laws and hopes Apple will let him into the Apple Store to buy a new computer.


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