Giving out passwords? How could this app be legal??

Phoenix777 · Jul 25, 2016

Maybe I'm missing something but this doesn't seem right... https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yunshang.wifimap&hl=en

AZgl1500 · Jul 25, 2016

nope, tain't legal.

Phoenix777 · Jul 25, 2016

AZgl1500 said:
nope, tain't legal.

If it's not legal, does Google realize they are supporting this illegal app in their Play Store? I thought Google play store was a safe and reputable place...?

Fox Mulder · Jul 25, 2016

With the huge number of apps in the store, it's not impossible for a bad one to slip through the cracks occasionally.
You're free to report it to Google yourself, there is a link at the bottom of each app in the Play store marked "Flag as Inappropriate".

Phoenix777 · Jul 25, 2016

Fox Mulder said:
With the huge number of apps in the store, it's not impossible for a bad one to slip through the cracks occasionally.
You're free to report it to Google yourself, there is a link at the bottom of each app in the Play store marked "Flag as Inappropriate".

This app has already gained 10 million downloads. I don't know if I should flag/report or just stay out of it.

The_Chief · Jul 25, 2016

I'd say go ahead and report it. Put it in Google's court to determine what they're going to do with it. Good catch!

fdbryant3 · Jul 25, 2016

There is nothing illegal about it. The app is sharing passwords to hotspots that is uploaded to them by users. It is important to note that users have to specifically share the password to the service, they don't just automatically share the password of any system you log into. Unless you specifically sign an agreement with someone saying not to share a password there is no reason that you cannot do so. Even then it is probably a civil dispute rather than a criminal one.

Think of it like this though - you go to a local public hotspot, and you get the password from the owner. Ten minutes later your friends join you and you give them the password, have you committed a crime? Same principal, just automated.

Now whether or not this is a secure method of sharing password is a different question. Whether it does or doesn't though does not make it illegal.

There is a similar app that I have greater faith in called Instabridge that does basically the same thing.

Phoenix777 · Jul 25, 2016

fdbryant3 said:
There isThank you for clarifying. nothing illegal about it. The app is sharing passwords to hotspots that is uploaded to them by users. It is important to note that users have to specifically share the password to the service, they don't just automatically share the password of any system you log into. Unless you specifically sign an agreement with someone saying not to share a password there is no reason that you cannot do so. Even then it is probably a civil dispute rather than a criminal one.

Think of it like this though - you go to a local public hotspot, and you get the password from the owner. Ten minutes later your friends join you and you give them the password, have you committed a crime? Same principal, just automated.

Now whether or not this is a secure method of sharing password is a different question. Whether it does or doesn't though does not make it illegal.

There is a similar app that I have greater faith in called Instabridge that does basically the same thing.

Thank you for clarifying. Do you know if there's an app that will boost your tablet's Wi-Fi reception strength for example if you are in an area were there is a wifi signal but you're kinda far from The router? Or is this purely a hardware thing? P.S I started a thread about this question if you want to answer it there.

Hadron · Jul 26, 2016

WiFi reception depends on hardware and firmware, but an app cannot do anything to improve it (even a firmware update can only do so much, with big gains only if the earlier firmware was buggy).

That isn't to say you won't find apps that claim to do this, just that they are fakes.

psionandy · Jul 26, 2016

The_Chief said:
I'd say go ahead and report it. Put it in Google's court to determine what they're going to do with it. Good catch!

fdbryant3 said:
There is nothing illegal about it. The app is sharing passwords to hotspots that is uploaded to them by users. It is important to note that users have to specifically share the password to the service, they don't just automatically share the password of any system you log into. Unless you specifically sign an agreement with someone saying not to share a password there is no reason that you cannot do so. Even then it is probably a civil dispute rather than a criminal one.

Think of it like this though - you go to a local public hotspot, and you get the password from the owner. Ten minutes later your friends join you and you give them the password, have you committed a crime? Same principal, just automated.

Now whether or not this is a secure method of sharing password is a different question. Whether it does or doesn't though does not make it illegal.

There is a similar app that I have greater faith in called Instabridge that does basically the same thing.

In the UK it would probably be illegal due to the computer misuse act (1990)

fdbryant3 · Jul 26, 2016

psionandy said:
In the UK it would probably be illegal due to the computer misuse act (1990)

Well I'm not a US lawyer much less know anything about UK law, so I shouldn't comment but I will anyway. My guess would be the app itself isn't illegal however the act of sharing the corporate password (or any password that isn't intended to be shared) to the app might be.

Considering that for a period of time Microsoft was distributing a similar feature with Windows 10 (which was removed because people weren't using it) and to my knowledge was a feature available in the UK, I don't think the app itself would be deemed illegal.

psionandy · Jul 27, 2016

Because of the way the Microsoft implemented password sharing, it would be easier for them to argue consent.... This appears to be a lot more indiscriminate. So the use of the app, and the people who made the app, would be in breach of it.

Giving out passwords? How could this app be legal??

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