Snoopstick

If you suspect that someone may have had access to your computer and installed Snoopstick without your knowledge, or if you want to make sure that you computer is protected from someone doing this, we can help. We understand that like many things, tools that are designed to be helpful for some might be harmful to others. Snoopstick is designed to help parents monitor their kids activities, however it could be used illegally to invade someone's privacy. If you would like information on how to inoculate your computer so Snoopstick cannot be installed, please click here. [top]

Q: So what does Snoopstick do? Does it send me email or something?

If you have shopped around for any kind of remote monitoring program, you have probably heard claims of "real time monitoring" or other things that lead you to believe that you can see what is happening on the target computer as it happens. In reality, what happens is that most of these programs will send you an email when some sort of activity occurs, or at predetermined intervals. Snoopstick is different. It is the only product that really lets you view activity in real time, as it happens, and completely securely. If you see your kids having an inappropriate conversation with someone or visiting prohibited web sites, you will know immediately and you can log them off, turn off Internet access, or even turn the computer off. All from any computer with a USB port anywhere, completely remotely. There are no passwords or login names to remember, no web sites to remember, just plug it in. [top]

Q: Do I need to watch "live" activity or can I see what happened previously?

You do not need to monitor activity live if you do not want to or can't. You can connect at any time and see the what activity occurred earlier today, yesterday, last week or last month. Snoopstick keeps a record of all activity and you can view this anytime you like. [top]

Q: Does the Snoopstick need to remain plugged in to the computer I am monitoring?

No. You only need to plug the Snoopstick into the target machine(s) once to install the monitoring components. This generally takes less than 60 seconds. You can then remove the Snoopstick and take it with you. You can simply plug your Snoopstick into another computer any time you want to monitor the target computer(s). Nothing is ever installed on the monitoring computer because everything is self contained on the Snoopstick. [top]

Q: Can I use the Snoopstick without a second computer to monitor from?

Sure, any time you want to look at the information Snoopstick has collected and stored, you can simply plug the Snoopstick back into the machine you are monitoring. You can examine activity for any date you want and download all activity logs to the Snoopstick device and take them with you if you like. Snoopstick can work almost like a "key" in these cases, and rather than using it for remote monitoring, you can simply use it as a key to access the history if the computer you are monitoring. [top]

Q: Is Snoopstick legal?

Yes, as long as the computer you want to monitor is owned by you, or you have permission from the owner. We do not recommend that you install Snoopstick without permission on a computer you do not own, as you may violate state or local law by monitoring the activities of someone using property that does not belong to you. Use of monitoring systems in the workplace may also require some sort of employee notification and we would strongly recommend that you check your governing employment laws. [top]

Q: Will Snoopstick let me see what my kids are chatting about on their instant messenger?

Absolutely! Snoopstick works with all major instant messenger programs and lets you see both sides of the conversation, live, in real time as it happens. You can see exactly what they say and exactly what others say to them, including their screen names. [top]

Q: Will Snoopstick let me monitor my employees?

Sure, and it is easy to do. Just install the Snoopstick monitor on your office computers, and you can check each employee from another computer any time you want. All you need is your Snoopstick and you can "take a peek" at any of your employees computers throughout the work day or after hours. Snoopstick will let you watch in real time, or display recent activity so you can see what was going on while you were not watching. Do you wonder if your employees are searching for jobs, making vacation plans, or chatting with friends when you are not watching? Snoopstick is the perfect tool to find out. [top]

Q: Will Snoopstick let me read other people's email?

Snoopstick will record certain details about email that is sent or received on the computer such as the senders and recipients email addresses, and date and time. It will not record the actual contents of the message. There is an important reason why we don't do this. We cannot control who purchases Snoopstick and as such, we have a responsibility to publish software that will be useful to the customer, while not being dangerous to an unsuspecting user. Private details about medical, financial, and personal issues may be contained in email and unauthorized viewing could be extremely damaging to the user. While we understand that parents might want to monitor their children's emails, Snoopstick could just as easily be used to monitor email to innocent adults. [top]

Q: Will Snoopstick work with my firewall?

Yes, Snoopstick is "firewall smart". You should never need to change any settings or experience any firewall issues whatsoever. However this may change as new third party Firewalls and Virus protection programs are upgraded in the future!
NIS 2008 is now aware of Snoopstick software and can be setup in under 3 minutes. Please email for details. info@snoopstick.co.uk [top]

Q: Can Snoopstick be used to see if someone uses my computer when I am not there?

Sure, that is one of the cool uses for Snoopstick. Let's say you have a computer at work and you want to see if anyone uses it while you're away from the office. You install the Snoopstick monitor on your computer, and take the Snoopstick with you. Any time you like you can plug your Snoopstick into another computer somewhere and check to see if anyone is or has been using your computer and what they did. [top]

Q: Can the user bypass Snoopstick?

No, the Snoopstick monitor software can only be removed or bypassed if the actual Snoopstick is plugged into the computer. [top]

Q: Can someone using a different Snoopstick access my computer?

No, whenever you install Snoopstick on a computer you want to monitor, it is paired to your Snoopstick automatically. This cannot be changed unless you uninstall the Snoopstick monitor from the target computer, and you need the original Snoopstick to do that. [top]

Q: Is Snoopstick secure?

Completely! All information sent between a computer being monitored and the computer running the Snoopstick is encrypted with an industry standard encryption method. No information of any kind is stored on the computer you are using to monitor another computer, and all data is stored directly on the Snoopstick. Snoopstick does not provide remote access to any files or personal information stored on either computer. It only monitors certain activity and reports it. Please read our Privacy Statement for other important information. [top]

Q: How much data will Snoopstick hold?

The Snoopstick as it ships will hold about 2 months of data from a single computer (about 55 megabytes). Snoopstick will automatically clean out old data when necessary so maintenance is unnecessary. If you have a need to store more data on your Snoopstick, please contact our support department for assistance. Snoopstick is also now available on name brand, 512mb and 1gb USB flash drives. [top]

Q: What if I lose my Snoopstick?

If you lose your Snoopstick, contact our tech support department and they will be able to assist you in getting a properly coded replacement. [top]

Q: Can I make a backup of my Snoopstick?

Yes. You can actually create a backup device using your own USB memory stick if you like. You can contact our support department for information on doing this. [top]

Q: Can I use Snoopstick on more than one computer?

Yes, the standard version of Snoopstick can be used on up to 3 computers. It can be used to monitor any number of computers, however additional licenses must be purchased for each computer over 4.These are available for $10.95 for each additional computer. [top]

Q: Will Snoopstick track key presses?

No, Snoopstick is not a key logger. It will not let you find out users passwords or account numbers. We firmly believe that there are things that are inappropriate to monitor and record. As with email, we do not monitor or record things that could compromise a users expectation of security when engaging in financial transactions, typing letters, etc. [top]

Q: Why does Snoopstick require an annual fee?

Well, there 2 reasons for this. First, for Snoopstick to work securely, it needs to make the connection through a data center. The computer being monitored and the computer doing the monitoring do not actually connect directly to each other. Specialized servers are mainatined in a data center that do all the work of verifying what Snoopstick can connect to which computers, and when they do connect, handle all the data exchange to ensure absolute security. This requires ongoing maintenance, computer hardware, and bandwidth. Of course, these all involve ongoing expenses to provide this service. The second reason is that Snoopstick is constantly upgraded to keep up with the fast pace of the Internet. Instant Messenger programs change frequently as do browsers and other Internet applications. The development team works constantly on new features and compatibility issues with new versions of Internet applications. Many companies charge version upgrade fees to keep up with the constantly changing world of the Internet. We don't do that, and you as long as you maintain your annual subscription, all Snoopstick upgrades are included and your installations and Snoopstick device are updated automatically as new updates become available. [top]