Hammad Akbar, CEO of the U.K.-based company InvoCode, is accused of creating the StealthGenie app, which intercepts communications to and from Apple, Google, and BlackBerry phones.

Andrew McCabe, FBI Assistant Director in Charge, has said that the software allowed stalkers and criminals to gain access to confidential communications.

McCabe said: "They do this not by breaking into their homes or offices, but by physically installing spyware on unwitting victim's phones and illegally tracking an individual's every move."

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 31-year-old Akbar, of Lahore, Pakistan, was charged with conspiracy, sale of a surreptitious interception device, advertisement of a known interception device, and advertising a device as a surreptitious interception device.

Designed specifically for stalkers and domestic abusers, Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell said: "Selling spyware is not just reprehensible, it's a crime."