The Latest in IT Security

The US Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against the people allegedly behind two popular Android piracy websites, Snappzmarket and Appbucket. The two sites were seized by the government in 2012, and four men have now been charged with conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Its the first time that the Justice Department has moved to prosecute individuals for illegally distributing mobile apps. FBI special agent Ricky Maxwell, who was involved in the investigation into the two sites, said in a statement that The federal charges presented in this case illustrates the problems facing technology based companies in particular. He added that the case highlights the FBI and US government response to those engaged in such wholesale criminal activity involving the piracy of copyrighted products.