What Is Prey? An Online Platform To Install On Smartphones And Other Devices
Prey is an online and mobile application and system for monitoring, management, and security for mobiles, tablets, and laptops. The software was developed by the Canadian firm Prey Inc., now known as Fork Inc. Formerly, the developer Tom Pollack was responsible for developing and deploying the iPhone and Android mobile operating systems. However, with the acquisition of Softies, it was decided that Fork should take over the Android project instead, and PREY became a joint venture between Pollack and Fork.
The original idea behind this application was to develop a system that will monitor internet usage so that any harmful content could be easily spotted. With the increase in tablet and laptop sales coupled with the increasing number of smartphone users, it was necessary to create a more secure browsing environment on the devices. Prey can be used on a number of mobile platforms such as android, Linux, iPhones, Blackberry, Symbian, Windows Mobile and Windows CE. The web browsing tracking is not only limited to currently installed web apps but also logs what sites have been visited by the android devices as well as what browser type the user uses. The web application also tracks what specific applications and games the user loads and purchases on their devices. This information is then sent back to the parent company in order to provide detailed reports on usage.
With the first version of PREY, it was easy to log in remotely and manage the web browsing history of the infected users. However, because of a large increase in the number of mobile devices, the application needed to be developed for each device type. This version was also much more secure compared to its first version. The first version was released as a free online platform for people to try out and the latest release is available on a subscription basis where a single license costs $99.
