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Lawsuit Accuses Warriors' Mobile App of Eavesdropping On Fans -- Even When Not In Use (cnet.com)
An anonymous reader writes: A lawsuit is accusing the Golden State Warriors' app of spying on fans in order to determine a user's precise location in order to serve targeted ads. The creepiest thing about it? The lawsuit says the app does this even when it isn't in use. It claims the app secretly uses the microphones from the mobile device running the app to listen in and record user conversations. CBS Local reports: "The app, which delivers up-to-date scores, schedules and news, asks for permission to access the microphone on users' phones. But, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in San Francisco federal court, it doesn't disclose the extent to which it listens in. If true, the allegations would violate the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which prohibits the 'interception and disclosure of wire, oral, or electronic communications.' The lawsuit, which seeks class action status, seeks statutory damages equal to 'the sum of actual damages suffered plus any profits defendants earned through its unlawful conduct.'" "Even more disconcerting, the app turns on the microphone (listening and recording) any time the app is running," the filing reads. "No matter if a consumer is actively using the app or if it is merely running in the background: the app is listening."
I'm sorry your favorite sportsball team is doing something you don't like
Sorry to pour water on tin-foil hats, but this is probably just a bug in the software. Just because the app is accessing the mic doesn't mean it's recording or sending it to the server.
Also, the article clearly indicates this: [person] saying: “We have been made aware of the suit and it appears there is a misunderstanding about how our technology works. Our technology does not intercept, store, transmit, or otherwise use any oral content for marketing purposes or for any other purpose.”
they'll do whatever they can for the team. Even letting the team listen in on their lives 24/7. If the fan isn't doing anything wrong, they have nothing to hide. Especially from their beloved team.
why do you think those apps ask you to give them permission to almost every function on the phone?
all you need to do when you have any new device/os like windows 10, osx 10.9+, android/ios is to lunch wireshark and have some time, its basically mind blowing whats on the wire, how about the new neatgear switches like the gs108pe those little fuckers register them self with mothership as soon as you give it a default gateway, yea bitches welcome to the new spy on you world!
its for your own good, fuck no!
Then WTF does it want access to your phone's mic if it "does not intercept, store, transmit, or otherwise use any oral content for marketing purposes or for any other purpose"?
The app ... asks for permission to access the microphone
Even more disconcerting, the app turns on the microphone (listening and recording) any time the app is running
What's disconcerting about an app doing exactly as it asked permission for?
Dumbass, the lawsuit only applies to the version from the Google Play store. So Apple really DID do no wrong here. Shill.
Then why does it want to access your mic if it "does not intercept, store, transmit, or otherwise use any oral content for marketing purposes or for any other purpose"? There must be SOME purpose, or else it's a poorly written app, which is scary as well...
...asks for permission to access the microphone on users' phones.
At least it asks - iOS. Too many Android apps want blanket permissions on everything. Just why does a fucking [insert here] app need my location, access to my contacts, camera, media files, microphone, and anything else? The stock quote apps are some of the worst. A metronome app was just as bad.
Very rarely does a developer require no access to anything.
Which means, I do not load your app on my phone. Unfortunately, Android has no way of denying access but yet allows the use of the app like iOS does. I've given up on Android shit..
That is one of the reasons why I think Android is crap. It's nothing but an advertising and data gathering platform for Google - AKA, Alphabet, Inc - they gotta keep their earning up for Wall Street!
New to you Brin et al, as soon as you go public, Wall Street will MAKE you Evil because you signed a deal with the Devil to get rich quick!
If a free program wanted to do this, it would be readily visible and available for inspection to determine what exactly it's doing.
And then any users of the free program could simply edit this functionality out and distribute the edited binary freely. Just another day in the proprietary software hell.
As far as I can tell from the articles, the only thing that is provable that is going on is that the app has constant access to the microphone. That's a bug and potential concern for anyone using the app, but doesn't on its own point to anything nefarious.
Also, why would an app use your MICROPHONE instead of your LOCATION data to determine your location? Are the claimants suggesting the app uses a voice-to-text converter and parses through the logs to find out that someone said "Wal-Mart" and then target them with Wal-Mart ads? Why wouldn't they just use location data instead to see if you're near a Wal-Mart? I mean, I know the old adage about "if all you have is a hammer, then everything looks like a nail," but that would be taking things to a whole new level.
Unless there's something missing from the reporting on this article, it sounds like an overly litigious person/group crying wolf over what is at worst developer incompetence and is at best a bug.
This is probably incompetence (it's always best to assume).
But there are lots of really interesting things a sports app might want to do with location and microphone -- identifying people recording/broadcasting a game for instance. Or tracking illicit broadcast of pay TV (Sky and the Premier League would try that in the UK), tracking illicit rebroadcast of foreign syndicates to get round the former...
With subscriber information they might be trying to track down illegal gambling, etc.
Ad networks are totally doing this. I don't have proof so I won't name names because I don't want to be sued for libel. The root of the problem is that the phone's permissions allow an app with microphone access to listen all the time whether or not the user is running the app in the foreground. Be suspicious of anything that needs microphone privileges, especially if it's something that has no reason to need to use the microphone. Looking at you, Twitter.
Background or not, if it is running, it is running. I wouldn't use an app like this, because this lawsuit accuses it of working exactly as anyone should expect it to work.
This is a general rule: If it can be done, it will be done by someone...
Russian Hackers, Chinese Hackers, FBI, NSA, CIA, Golden State Warriors...
The eavesdropping algorithm is waiting for the secret command: "warriors, come out to plaaay-aay"
so move along, nothing to see or hear.
So, couple of things. First, it's the Android version that is the target of this lawsuit, not the iOS version. Second, on iOS anytime an app is using the microphone, the phone's status bar turns read and if the application is in the background there is a persistent, flashing notification under the status bar showing which application is using it. Tap the notification and it takes you back to that application.
I browse on +1 so AC's need not respond, I won't see it.
Hey, this ECPA thing allows for imprisonment of up to five years! Let's send a message!
The security model of Android sucks balls. Users should be able to configure each and every apps permissions how they want and should be able to set a default of "No" to evreything.
This whole model of corporations thinking that we're going to just use any old crap they put out and let them do what they want with our files, force us to log on to their servers, force us to watch ads etc. is going to end in one way only.
Intelligent people will simply stop using the shit altogether.
One more piece of evidence added to my ever-growing mountain of evidence that smartphone 'security' is about as solid as a colander -- and are just as likely made that way on purpose as not, to track our whereabouts 24/7/365, and collect as much data on us as possible. George Orwell thought it was going to be giant two-way televisions in our homes, that you can't turn off under penalty of law, but in fact it's the smartphone. Makes sense, though, doesn't it? That closes the one 'hole' in the always-on TV set, which can't track you once you leave the room it's in. They couldn't trick us into having tracking devices implanted in us, oh no! But they could sure trick us into voluntarily carrying a tracking device around with us, now couldn't they, by luring people in with Angry Birds and Candy Crush and Pokemon Go, and of course Facebook. Suckers..
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Hey guys, we found the Homeland Security shill! Or do you work for the FBI? CIA? MIS? Or are you just some faggot corporate shill, protecting your faggot companys' data-collection platform? How about you go fuck yourself sideways with a rusty chainsaw, faggot shill?
I love Map My Run.
But it uses 40% of my battery by the end of the day. In fact, I have to be careful now about getting the phone on the charger before it gets too late at night.
So I force stopped the app (when I'm not using it). I only use it once or twice every other day anyway. This morning it has already consumed 5% of my battery in 2 hrs, WHILE IT"S FORCE STOPPED!!
It's the biggest source of battery drain my phone has, and it doesn't even shut off when it's been shut off.
Google, when I say STOP I mean STOP.
more than likely the microphone part is to listen for tones coming from game broadcasts for cross sell opportunities.
there are a few companies offering this sort of "immersion" technology.
Microsoft / Windows 8 and 10 / CEIP do this all the time.