As I suspected: Storm8 admits that their very popular free game titled Vampires Live is currently stealing your cell number. No specific consent. No notice. Play the game and they phone home with your iPhone cell number. This is Spyware. This is Idenity Theft.  This violates my Privacy. This sucks! They say it’s a “Bug” which they plan to correct but that’s far from the end of this tragic story which has dramatic implications for every owner of an iPhone.

The talented Geeks from the iPhone Jailbreak Community have the facts. Please read all of the posts. Here are some juicy extracts:

 During use, the application tracks and reports:

- your mobile phone number (yes, you read that right)

- application version, number

- unique ID of your iPhone

- points (if applicable)

- iPhone model

- firmware version

Sadly some bad news, thanks to a tip from alien I just finished testing another 6 applications from Storm8 and ALL applications capture and send your mobile phone number to their servers!

 - iMobsters

- Kingdoms Live

- Racing Live

- Rockstars Live

- Vampires Live

- World War

- Zombies Live

The Storm8 email response to complaints about the Vampires Live game stealing your phone number:

“Thanks again for alerting us of the situation. We did have a bug that has been fixed. The updated app will need to go through the regular review process. You should expect to see it live shortly in the app store.

Once again we thank you for bringing this to our attention and apologize to our users for the oversight.

 Regards,

 (Name)

Storm8 Support Team”

The implications: Many of the Storm8 Games are top downloads in the iTunes store. Millions of phone numbers have been stolen which could be sold in the marketplace and used by Spammers (SMS) and Telemarketers. Although this is horrible, I’m left with many questions and some predictions.

 (1) Attention Apple Computer! Read carefully. These games are only available via your iTunes store. You make revenue from their distribution. About 30% of the gross. You distribute them. Exactly what kind of screening and compliance do you use? Why didn’t you catch these applications with your internal controls and reject them? Please don’t tell me that thousands of new applications are submitted every week and you don’t have the staff or technology to eliminate SPYWARE and applications which violate your own EULA. Please don’t try and pass the buck! That didn’t work in 2005 and 2006 and if you don’t believe me then read this Blog! Still not convinced. Spend the time to read Ben Edelman’s outstanding research. Mr. Jobs: Only about 10% of the iPhone user base have performed a  Jailbreak on their iPhone so they can block slimy applications which YOU distribute via the Host File. The other 90% can’t do a darn thing. Please adjust your staffs schedule and IMMEDIATELY: Test and suspend the non-compliant applications. Release a fix to block these non-compliant applications from Phoning home. Tomorrow would be great for these actions.

(2) Dear Storm8: I’m confident that many talented Geeks will be waiting for your Bug fix updates. They will be tested for compliance. What have you done with the millions of phone numbers you have stolen? Have you destroyed them? Have you already sold them to other abusers? Have you notified the millions of iPhone users that your “Bug” stole their phone numbers and the exact actions you have performed to not only correct the issue but insure that it does not happen again with ALL of your games. Please, in writing, on your letterhead, and signed by an officer of Storm8 LLC. I’ve mellowed since my despotic days of fighting Spyware which is documented on this Blog and all over the world. In this respect, I’m willing to let you correct the issue and answer my questions ASAP. Please do this!

(3) What does the future hold? I’m willing to bet that Mobile Phones will be the new playground for every low life criminal in the world. Concerned parties need to see exactly what happened in the 2005 days to many low life criminals and learn from these actions. No doubt, the FTC, the courts, consumers, and numerous states will sue many parties and win. Watch the “Metrics” group carefully. Watch ANY application which is “Free”. Obviously, you can’t remain in business with a “free” service so they WILL monetize and then we will see even more abuse in the Mobil Phone space. With BILLIONS of dollars at stake and MILLIONS of Mobile Phones in use, this will be a dramatic period in the evolution of Privacy, compliance with a given EULA,  Idenity Theft, Spyware, Spam, and other nasty things. 

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