Wall Street Journal article on fraudulent Android apps

[Tony Touch]

Article from the WSJ discussing fraudulent apps in the Android Market:

Dark Side Arises for Phone Apps - WSJ.com

 

[vasilator]

Article from the WSJ discussing fraudulent apps in the Android Market:

Dark Side Arises for Phone Apps - WSJ.com

This has been my biggest (pretty much only) disappointment since switching from the I-phone. The app store vs. android market. Way more bogus apps. on Android. I guess this is the issue with open source. I don't download an app. unless I read about it on here.

 

[trick202]

I'll echo that.

I never understood the issue people have with apple store/choice. I had almost 200,000 apps to chose from and they were vetted so that they weren't fraudulent, they weren't defective, they didn't suck, the quality was great. I don't have a problem paying for apps either, so that was never an issue for me.

I'll only download stuff I've read about on here too.....
Not sure what Impact this will have on the mainstream user...anyone?

 

[mttfrog13]

I'll echo that.
Not sure what Impact this will have on the mainstream user...anyone?

Mainstream users are the ones who are gonna get suckered and fall for app "phishing" attempts for passwords and private information. Power users are not likely to fall for fake apps. This is the same situation that occurs on desktop pcs. Some people still click the fake "x" boxes inside of internet popup windows when they are really links and not the x to close the window. Google is doing a great job with the android and the market.

Some of the apps on the android really out do some apps in the istore. On the other hand, the games in general suck, the fackbook app sucks and doesn't have push notifications. I think google is tryin to hard to distance their app store from apple, but apple's app store is ridiculously successful and there is a thing or two they can learn from them.

Google shouldn't go completely hands off with the app store. Quality and security will suffer. On the other hand, they shouldn't be as restrictive as apple. They should be proactive, not reactive when it comes to apps that violate their regulations. These apps shouldn't need to be removed, but shouldn't be allowed in the app store to begin with.

This is what i think about the app store after owning an ipod touch for a year, enjoying top of the line games and music player, and selling it to get a droid incredible . Which has random reboots at least 20 times a day, crappy games and a crappy music player . I'm glad to see double twists music player come to the market but I don't know when i will receive my replacement droid because of shortages.

 

[Jayziac]

It's the same in society. Do we give up an open society because of the few criminals? Would we prefer a locked down closed society where ideas and content are all censored & filtered? Of course not. I personally only download more popular apps or recommended by someone. Also skim the reviews a bit before installing.

 

[applejosh]

It's the same in society. Do we give up an open society because of the few criminals? Would we prefer a locked down closed society where ideas and content are all censored & filtered? Of course not. I personally only download more popular apps or recommended by someone. Also skim the reviews a bit before installing.

Exactly! While I didn't ever worry about fraudulent apps when downloading from the AppStore, I still felt like I was a little limited. The reason for going to Android was because of the more open nature of the apps, the OS, the rooting, etc. Yes, I know I have to be more careful when choosing apps, but the same can be said for opening email, answering telemarketer calls, buying a used car, etc. Eternal vigilance is the price we pay for freedom.

Plus with sites like Appbrain, etc., it's much easier to weed out the bad apples. So I consider my move a positive one.

 

[lekky]

This is the same thing as downloading a pc app and entering your bank details. It's silly, and people should be smarter than to fall for this...

 

[Pryomancer]

The people who get screwed are the ones who fill up their phones downloading every stupid app they come across. If you only bother getting the ones that are actually useful, popular and well reviewed, you've nothing to worry about.

 

[Bluesman2008]

Mainstream users are the ones who are gonna get suckered and fall for app "phishing" attempts for passwords and private information. Power users are not likely to fall for fake apps. This is the same situation that occurs on desktop pcs.

Exactly. It's the environment that hackers learned to invade...first the PCs and next our smart phones.

The only way I can see to stop it is for Android to personally screen those apps, check it for bugs or whatever, and then put their stamp of approval on it. From then on, use nothing less.

What a shame. But, smart phones, must, I guess, breed smart phone hackers. Let the battles begin LOL....when will it ever stop.

 

[UncleMike]

There's a target audience for these rogue apps, and the Android Market is only one means of reaching that audience. I think people attracted to Android are less likely to be in that audience than people attracted to Apple products are.

Many Apple users are attracted to Apple because they can buy their Apple device, Apple accessories, and Apple-approved apps, and continue blissfully unaware of the the threats their great protector shields them from - like Google Voice. The freedom offered by the Android Market is not for everyone, but for those who can deal with its pitfalls, it's a great place to be.