Washington State

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Attorney General

Bob Ferguson

Looking for romance online? You’re next scintillating chat may be with a computer, not a human. A Russian Web site called CyberLover is advertising a software tool that it claims can simulate flirtatious chatroom exchanges. According to articles like this one from Reuters, the company boasts that the program can chat up as many as 10 women at the same time and victims can’t distinguish it from a human. That’s not just creepy; it’s scary. An Australian anti-virus software firm, PC Tools, warns that the software could be used by identity thieves to woo your personal data along with your heart. CyberLover's website explains that the settings on its program can be changed to attract men, persuade people to visit a Web site or encourage them to "top up" a mobile phone - a process in the UK where folks add cash to a cell phone account to pay for ring tones, additional minutes, etc. All that data will reportedly be collected and stored. The program, so far available only in Russian, will go on sale around February 15, just after Valentine’s Day.

 

 

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