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Phone Maker BLU Settles With FTC Over Unauthorized User Data Extraction (threatpost.com)
lod123 shares a report from Threatpost: Android phone-maker BLU Products agreed to a proposed settlement on Tuesday with the Federal Trade Commission, over allegations it allowed the third-party firm Adups Technology to collect detailed consumer data from users without their consent. In an administrative complaint filed earlier this week against BLU and the company's co-owner and president Samuel Ohev-Zion, the FTC accused the firm of sharing with China-based Adups the full contents of their users' text messages, real-time cell tower location data, call and text-message logs, contact lists, and applications used and installed on devices.
Ultimately, the FTC is alleging Ohev-Zion and BLU violated the FTC Act's section pertaining to "deceptive representation regarding disclosure of personal information." The proposed settlement will be made final after a 30-day public comment period. In its proposed complaint, the FTC said Florida-based BLU contracted with Adups to issue security and operating system updates to millions of phones sold by the firm through Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart. In addition to allegedly failing to protect consumer privacy, the FTC asserts that BLU failed "to adequately assess the privacy and security risks of third-party software installed on BLU devices" resulting in "common security vulnerabilities that could enable attackers to gain full access to the devices." Security researchers at Kryptowire first reported in 2016 that several models of BLU phones actively transmitted user and device information to Adups.
Ultimately, the FTC is alleging Ohev-Zion and BLU violated the FTC Act's section pertaining to "deceptive representation regarding disclosure of personal information." The proposed settlement will be made final after a 30-day public comment period. In its proposed complaint, the FTC said Florida-based BLU contracted with Adups to issue security and operating system updates to millions of phones sold by the firm through Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart. In addition to allegedly failing to protect consumer privacy, the FTC asserts that BLU failed "to adequately assess the privacy and security risks of third-party software installed on BLU devices" resulting in "common security vulnerabilities that could enable attackers to gain full access to the devices." Security researchers at Kryptowire first reported in 2016 that several models of BLU phones actively transmitted user and device information to Adups.
Get google out of the hand top
Stop being crybaby millennial snowflakes. If you don't like your data being extracted, don't use a smartphone. Grow up. Nobody needs a smartphone; it is a luxury item.
The FCC fully supports ISP's extracting every single bit of user data for any whim, yet when a Chinese based company does it they file against them?
BLU must have forgotten Pai's payola.......
Always curious when slashdot editors decide to omit the political slants when it’s something they like.
The Federal TRADE Commission is not the same as the Federal COMMUNICATIONS Commission.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
What about RED? Saxton Hale will hear of this!
Good news!
How many of the executives and controlling minds at BLU are going to jail?
"The proposed settlement agreement with the FTC does not include any financial penalty or consumer restitution over the alleged issues with affected phones, because in first offense matters such as this, the FTC lacks the power to levy such financial penalties."
Oh...
Yep. America is fucked up. And the boiling frogs don't even notice.
Yup, that's exactly right. And even the monitoring and auditing can be defeated by hiding it all behind Chinese "partner" companies or subsidiaries that are beyond the reach of US law.
"Gee, it says right here in our contract that Wun Hung Lo Industries promised not to misuse any of our customer data that they accessed while performing this work. Must be their fault!"
Why isn't BLU closed from doing business in the US? Close them down after returning all subscription fees to subscribers.
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. George Orwell
How much of this settlement goes to the customers who bought the phones? That's right, none.
As a purchaser of BLU phones, I've read the proposed settlement, and find it worse than useless. No compensation, and no firmware repairs/upgrades are promised to customers. I put a complaint to that effect in the FTC comment files. BLU phones should be blocked from the US market until they clean up the mess.
I doubt BLU knew of this exploit by Adups but should be a wake up call for low tier product sourcing from China. Not a big surprise, this is how BLU could offer such low cost mobile devices.
...And its their 'businss model'. BLU does it, and its 'unlawful'?
Come on. Stop being the regulatory equivalent of Barney Fife, and start enforcing privacy laws across the board, evenly, to all comers, stupid fucking US government agencies.
Esp. with needing location services turned on to use some bluetooth and wifi functions, evil terms and services. There's plenty of data-perv slurping going on. Plain evil.
They should be prosecuted instead for selling phones with tons of preinstalled unremovable crapware, coupled with the storage space of a Vic20.
Just like Win10, except MS never gets in trouble for anything.
Because no, we did not agree to the spying and GB's of data harvested from our Desktop because those facts are not called out in the EULA.
They were selling mid-range-ish phones for $150. You have to assume they are making money somehow.