Google Remotely Removes Apps From Android Phones For Security Reasons

[OilKiller]

Isn't it funny that when Apple removes apps from the App Store, a major ruckus rears its head—but when Google removes apps from people's phones, just a few quiet grumblings are heard

http://gizmodo.com/5572510/google-re...curity-reasons

Hopefully not a fata. Guess Apple is the only "big brother" out there.

[Azure]

Yeah saw this earlier.

I don't like it either way. I think they should just send a warning in the form of a text message instead.

[HotHotHeat]

holy crap they can remotely wipe apps? That's serious infringement on property rights if you ask me. Wowwwwww technology just got creepy.

[QuadCityImages]

This doesn't bother me as long as they notify you when you do it, and have a good reason. Currently both are true. If they remove my old version of Dolphin because they don't like the fact that it allows you to download YouTube videos, that will annoy me.

If they remove malicious apps that serve no purpose, it probably will never affect me since I hopefully won't have downloaded them in the first place.

[OilKiller]

Yeah, well once there is precedent set, who knows what they'll remove next.

[QuadCityImages]

That's where they have to live up to their motto.

[Rathji]

They should have set up an alert that said ""this application has been identified as blah blah blah, click here find out more information or click here to remove it"

[photon]

Originally Posted by HotHotHeat

holy crap they can remotely wipe apps? That's serious infringement on property rights if you ask me. Wowwwwww technology just got creepy.

Amazon did something like this a while back with the Kindle.

Very common to be able to do in new online always connected services, just not done that much. Yet.

One of the consequences of this new DRMed you license stuff but don't own it world.

[Devils'Advocate]

Originally Posted by QuadCityImages

This doesn't bother me as long as they notify you when you do it, and have a good reason.

Why do I get the feeling that if Apple did this you would be of a different opinion?

[QuadCityImages]

Not if it was a malicious app, I wouldn't. When we download these apps from either the Apple app store, or the Android marketplace, we're taking a pretty big risk that the app maker didn't slip something past Apple, or... slip anything they want past the non-existent Google app inspectors. Sometimes it makes me uneasy, even though I generally don't download anything that at least 10,000 others have already downloaded. If Google or Apple discover one that they know is up to no good, nuke it.

Like I said before though, if they start going after things just because they disagree with them, or don't like the fonts used, that's quite another story.

Also, as much as I appreciate the fact that Android lets us download whatever we want, I would also like it if they had a "Google Approved" section of the marketplace where you know its not something shady.

[llama64]

Isn't it funny that when Apple removes apps from the App Store, a major ruckus rears its head—but when Google removes apps from people's phones, just a few quiet grumblings are heard

It's because no one cares about Android.

Honestly, I'd rather see the app's disabled and you have to manually remove it - at least that way you know what happened. Simply having them remotely removed doesn't seem very customer friendly. But I still think it's important that the platform provider does function as a policing force. Otherwise my phone might become riddled with malicious software which is the last think I need on a phone.

[sclitheroe]

Apple has this ability too, for those who weren't aware. You can actually inspect the app black list at this URL: https://iphone-services.apple.com/clbl/unauthorizedApps

So far nothing is on the list.

I find it hard to pass judgement on remote wiping of apps - I won't know whether I would feel outrage or relief until it happened to me. If the app just vanished and I had to use a search engine to find out why, then I would be pissed. I guess if the Goog contacted me and explained the situation, that would be acceptable.

Overall, I put it on the same scale as credit card companies suspending your account on suspicious activity - annoying, but you're awfully glad it happens on occasion.

[Azure]

I have no problem if they want to remove it.

But they should contact us too. Just say 'App x was removed because it was deemed to be malicious.'

Even if they did it automatically but sent us a text message saying that is what happened I would be fine with it.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

Why do I get the feeling that if Apple did this you would be of a different opinion?

Hey, lets be honest here.

Apple is the new Microsoft, so it is cool to hate. Anything they do will be criticized to the fullest extent possible. In 10 years people will be saying the same things about <insert new company here> that knocks off Apple in this capacity.

That said, if Apple let a malicious app through their stringent screening program and had to recall it because they didn't realize it was a piece of crap, I think it would be a bit worse. Apple denies many apps, some of which are useful, because they say they don't meet the quality expectations to be in the app store. If they let an app go through that didn't interfere with their closed system mentality but was malicious in nature it would throw a lot of red flags as to their true intent with their vetting process.

Either way, Google, Apple and any other company that offers apps for sale on their marketplace/app store/etc should be held accountable if they are letting malicious software into, or remain in their system. Both should be expected to do whatever is possible to maintain the integrity of this system.

Originally Posted by sclitheroe

Overall, I put it on the same scale as credit card companies suspending your account on suspicious activity - annoying, but you're awfully glad it happens on occasion.

Perfectly put.