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Google Store Sends User Information To App Developers

Posted by timothy on from the always-the-first-to-know dept.

Several readers have passed on news of a privacy hole in the Google app store. Reader Strudelkugel writes with the news.com.au version, excerpting: "Every time you purchase an app on Google Play, your name, address and email is passed on to the developer, it has been revealed today. The 'flaw' — which appears to be by design — was discovered this morning by Sydney app developer Dan Nolan who told news.com.au that he was uncomfortable being the custodian of this information and that there was no reason for any developer to have this information at their finger tips."

9 of 269 comments (clear)

  1. "Flaw"? by elephant_hunter · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Today I learned that app developers don't deserve to be treated like real merchants

    1. Re:"Flaw"? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Hey, go build your app store and sell your apps...until you do no...your not a merchant...your a supplier. Google App store is the merchant.

      You seem to not understand your role here. You are not the making the sale. Google is. You simply getting your book/album/software distributed by a merchant. /really is that simple

    2. Re:"Flaw"? by dagamer34 · · Score: 5, Informative

      If this were the iOS or Windows Phone stores, then yes, that would be true. But with Google Play, the developer actually IS the merchant. The Play Store itself is only an intermediary. The system is setup like any other online store where there are "ordered" and goods are "shipped". Blame the fact that Google basically grafted the paid Android store onto a system that was meant for real-world goods. Honestly though, this isn't news. Every Android developer has known this for YEARS. And this is no different than any other online store out there.

    3. Re:"Flaw"? by elephant_hunter · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Hey, go build your app store and sell your apps...until you do no...your not a merchant...your a supplier. Google App store is the merchant.

      You seem to not understand your role here. You are not the making the sale. Google is. You simply getting your book/album/software distributed by a merchant. /really is that simple

      Does that mean that people who sell apps on Amazon or eBay aren't merchants either?

      You're the one who seems not to understand. The middle man doesn't matter. If I am making a transaction with a customer, I am a merchant.

    4. Re:"Flaw"? by daniel78 · · Score: 5, Informative

      This is simply not true. Stupid as it may seem, Google has set up the Play store so that they are merely the "card processor". I agree that it seems a bit of a stretch, but that's the way it is. As such, the app developer really is the merchant. That's why you get receipts (via google checkout) from Joe Bloggs LLC rather than from Google itself.

  2. And why would that be? by Let's+All+Be+Chinese · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Real merchants don't "deserve" your personal details any more or less than appstore merchants. There may be a need to take your address for shipment, and in that case a phone number, email adress, or even additional shipment instructions may be useful. But they ought not be required without good reason.

    Note that credit cards muddle the picture by virtue of being a credit facility: You haven't actually paid yet so you are in debt and those obligations add identification requirements. Though strictly speaking all the merchant is supposed to do is pass it on to the credit facility for turning into money, and passing it in the clear is rather outdated, and well-known to be dangerous. Without credit as in payment by cash there and then, much of the need to identify you personally goes away.

    That this information is useful for profiling and all sorts of marketeering and so it's nice to gather, well, plenty furrin places you're not even allowed to do that. I'd say the practice to pass on information that really isn't needed is a dangerous habit that needs reconsideration.

    N'mind that it may possibly be useful to send emails in case of updates or whatnot. Passing that information automatically without need is a flaw, yes. Even if done by design.

  3. This is new? by Niris · · Score: 5, Informative

    Wait, this is new? I released my first paid app in November, and the only information you get is email, zipcode/city and name. I've been using the zipcode information to put pins in a map to see everywhere in the world I've sold to, heh.

  4. i use it to find and kill anyone who writes a bad by alen · · Score: 5, Funny

    review

    i don't tolerate any bad reviews on my apps. i either kill them myself or take a hit out

  5. this is simply not true by spottedkangaroo · · Score: 5, Informative

    You do get name, city name, and zip... you do not get an address. That's simply false.

    --
    Imagine if you weren't allowed to use roads because a bus company complained about your driving 3 times. --skunkpussy