When computer surveillance makes the news today, the subject often is acquainted with cases of criminal activity such as identity theft, child predators or drug deals. For example:

  • The Federal Bureau of Investigation or Drug Enforcement Administration intercepts a suspect’s PC activities and spies on him from a remote location.
  • Thieves or hackers break into computer systems and steal credit card information, banking records, PINs or passwords.

Much less is said about the positive impact new technologies have on our personal and business lives. One of the fastest-growing PC monitoring solutions is the keylogger. Its benefits to the average citizen are often understated.

kids-on-laptop

What Are Keyloggers?

Keystroke loggers or keyloggers have become a great way to gather information on people by monitoring their computer use. They can either be software or hardware-based and they record every key stroke made on a key board. The observer can learn what a person is doing by what they are typing. They can also see instant messages, e-mail, Web site URLs visited, and get occasional screenshots to watch what applications were running. The log files are encrypted on the hard drive and hidden away for later retrieval; or the data is transmitted electronically over the network to a remote computer.

Keylogger software is readily available for download on the Internet. The hardware is usually small, discreet and reasonably-priced. Keylogger hardware is difficult to detect because the information is often captured into flash memory on a computer chip hidden inside the keyboard. 

Legitimate Uses for Keylogging

Like any tool, keyloggers can be used in a harmful way. But there are many situations where using keyloggers are not only legitimate, but appropriate.

One of them is in the home. Parents can monitor their unsupervised children’s computer use, especially when they  suspect they might become victims of child predators, be exposed to dangerous content on the Internet, or get involved in illegal activities.

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