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Dictionary app auto-posts piracy accusations on users’ Twitter accounts

pocketables.com

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Re: Dictionary app auto-posts piracy accusations on users’ Twitter accounts

#11

Post by praptak »

Karunamon wrote: post #5

Booby trapped software. Very clever, except for when it blows up in your face. At least they only posted to twitter instead of [1] something a lot worse (think file deletion, etc). Generally a bad idea, if you're of the leet warez d00d type, to give any illicitly acquired app your credentials to anything important, at least until you've verified that it's safe. The armchair lawyer in me wonders if someone could get a…

> The armchair lawyer in me wonders if someone could get a libel/defamation suit going because of this.

As a professional certified internet laywer I'd also add impersonation.

Re: Dictionary app auto-posts piracy accusations on users’ Twitter accounts

#12

Post by MatthewPhillips »

yock wrote: post #9
Karunamon wrote: post #5

Booby trapped software. Very clever, except for when it blows up in your face. At least they only posted to twitter instead of [1] something a lot worse (think file deletion, etc). Generally a bad idea, if you're of the leet warez d00d type, to give any illicitly acquired app your credentials to anything important, at least until you've verified that it's safe. The armchair lawyer in me wonders if someone could get a…

Something we see discussed on occasion is a call for app developers to explain in detail why they request certain permissions. If this developer were required to explain (and the user required to acknowledge) the requested permission, it may have prevented the whole episode.

No it wouldn't have. The app required permission, or he couldn't use the thing he paid $50 for. The is a (stunning) app store review failure. A dictionary app that requires permission to post to your twitter should be rejected, period.

Re: Dictionary app auto-posts piracy accusations on users’ Twitter accounts

#14

Post by mistercow »

MatthewPhillips wrote: post #12
yock wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Something we see discussed on occasion is a call for app developers to explain in detail why they request certain permissions. If this developer were required to explain (and the user required to acknowledge) the requested permission, it may have prevented the whole episode.

No it wouldn't have. The app required permission, or he couldn't use the thing he paid $50 for. The is a (stunning) app store review failure. A dictionary app that requires permission to post to your twitter should be rejected, period.

Yeah, if they're going to put honest developers through bullshit and make them delay releases to change their apps according to the arbitrary whims of the reviewers, you'd think they could at least catch something like this.

Re: Dictionary app auto-posts piracy accusations on users’ Twitter accounts

#15

Post by CF_HoneyBadger »

UnoriginalGuy wrote: post #13

The developers are calling this a "bug." https://twitter.com/keitaigoddess/status/263995697571971072 https://twitter.com/keitaigoddess/status/263995940602535936

"Bug" my arse...someone was trying to prove a point / make a statement and it bit them. Hard.

They will have to do some heavy backpedaling for me to believe it was a bug. I'm a developer. Ive created bugs and fixed bugs. This is not a bug. This is a "feature".

Re: Dictionary app auto-posts piracy accusations on users’ Twitter accounts

#16

Post by mistercow »

UnoriginalGuy wrote: post #13

The developers are calling this a "bug." https://twitter.com/keitaigoddess/status/263995697571971072 https://twitter.com/keitaigoddess/status/263995940602535936

I love how they apologize for the "inconvenience". Yes, the inconvenience of being impersonated and publicly defamed through your Twitter account.

Re: Dictionary app auto-posts piracy accusations on users’ Twitter accounts

#17

Post by mistercow »

CF_HoneyBadger wrote: post #15
UnoriginalGuy wrote: post #13

The developers are calling this a "bug." https://twitter.com/keitaigoddess/status/263995697571971072 https://twitter.com/keitaigoddess/status/263995940602535936

"Bug" my arse...someone was trying to prove a point / make a statement and it bit them. Hard. They will have to do some heavy backpedaling for me to believe it was a bug. I'm a developer. Ive created bugs and fixed bugs. This is not a bug. This is a "feature".

No, you see, triggering it for a legitimate user was a bug. In other words, they are unrepentant for including this feature in the first place, even though it's totally scummy and possibly illegal even when targeted at someone who really did pirate the software.

Re: Dictionary app auto-posts piracy accusations on users’ Twitter accounts

#19

Post by kstenerud »

Most likely, their "piracy detector" was nothing more than checking for "MobileSubstrate" (a library present in all jailbroken phones) under the silly assumption that jailbroken = pirated.

Booby trapped software is NEVER a good idea. No matter how clever you think you are, you're not clever enough.

Re: Dictionary app auto-posts piracy accusations on users’ Twitter accounts

#20

Post by UnoriginalGuy »

UnoriginalGuy wrote: post #13

The developers are calling this a "bug." https://twitter.com/keitaigoddess/status/263995697571971072 https://twitter.com/keitaigoddess/status/263995940602535936

I did some more digging to check that Tracey as above is in fact an employee of the company who makes this app and indeed she is:

http://www.being-a-broad.com/2010/11/tracey-northcott-of-enf...

There are lot's of other verification links on google, just look for "tracey northcott enfour"

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