Spector by SpectorSoft was program initally designed for parents and employers to monitor the use of their computers by children and employees.

It does that nicely, however it didn't really start to sell until the marketing gurus at SpectorSoft started pitching it as a tool to monitor the on-line cheating of spouses.

As it turns out, it does that really well too. 

Spector watches and records everything that happens on a computer. After installation, it takes a picture of the screen every 30 seconds, remembers the programs you open, keeps track of all the Web sites you look at, saves a picture of every chat conversation and e-mail and will even remember every keystroke typed by the user (including passwords). It also knows how long you spent doing each of these things. 

It can be set up to use on a network, so that all the information of an employee's actions can be sent to the boss's computer. The software must be installed on both computers but if an employer doesn't want employees to know they're being watched, the program is set up so they don't have to know.

The program has two modes. One shows the user that the program is installed and that all his or her activity is being recorded. The other is "Stealth Mode" in which no trace of the program is visible. Employees who know about the program will probably be more careful of how they use their computers, how long they spend on the Web and which sites they go to.

The program is password protected, so it can't be tampered with or looked at by people other than the employer -- or the person who installed the program for the employer, or someone the employer entrusts with the password. Changeable options include how often screen shots are taken, how much hard disk space you want to devote to saving the information and how long it holds the information before deleting it.

Spector would also be useful to parents who want to see what the little ones do on the Internet, what sites they visit and who they chat with.

The program's ability to record passwords presents a privacy issue. While some people might think of this as a bonus, many would have a problem with their employer being able to look up their user IDs and passwords for e-mail, access, and anything else that requires one.

It is not uncommon for employers to ask employees to sign agreements about Internet use and which of their actions the employers have the rights to monitor. But some employees might find it unnerving to think that someone could be looking at the e-mail they sent their wife on their lunch break. 

This also possibly raises a legal issue. Say, for example, your employees have permission to use their computers for personal use during their lunch break but they haven't been told their keystrokes are being recorded.

What if an employee uses an online trading account to purchase some stocks? What if that employee pays bills online during lunch? Is recording those passwords and taking pictures of account information an invasion of privacy? Even if the employee knows that keystrokes are monitored, if the employer has records of passwords to that online trading account and personal banking account, where does liability lie if a dispute occurs over one of those accounts? Be prepared to defend how carefully you guarded your password to the program.

Spector might be a helpful tool in dealing with an employee suspected of abusing computer privileges or someone being overly distracted from work by playing on the Internet. It would probably be overkill to install it on every computer in the workplace because of the suspected actions of one employee, however, and if you monitor only one employee you need to be prepared to justify that action.

Spector does what it says it will do. Kids, employees and spouses, will hate it.

Reviewer's Rating: 4.5 / 5
Comments: If you are interested in monitoring the use of your computer(s), Spector is a particularly useful program. 
Minimum System Requirements: Windows 95/98 or NT, Pentium-based PC running at 100 MHz or faster, 16 MB of memory (32 Mb or more for best performance). Need approximately 10 MB of disk space for a typical day of recording 
More info: spectorsoft.com
Price: $69.95 US on the Spectorsoft Web site, $100 Canadian