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UPDATED 11:06 EDT / OCTOBER 28 2010

Yes, Android Apps Get Banned, Especially when they Spy on Lovers

Available for about 18 hours yesterday, a spy application called “Secret SMS Replicator” was lurking on the Android App Store. This app, once implanted on someone else’s Android phone, will forward all of that phone’s text messages to the implanter’s phone, unknown to the victim.

“This app is certainly controversial, but can be helpful to people in relationships where this type of monitoring can be useful,” Zak Tanjeloff, chief executive of DLP, told the New York Times.

The app hit the Android store Wednesday and was created by DLP Mobile. DLP says that the replicator’s best feature is its totally horrifying secrecy.

“The app is unique because there is no visible icon or shortcut to access it, so once it’s installed, it will continue to monitor without revealing itself,” the company says. Dude, I hope you realize how creepy that is.

The company accommodated it on the Android instead of the iPhone because, well, Apple has an epic long list of don’ts for their app store. DLP’s joy is short-lived though for Android has smelled the stinky fish and suspended the app from the Android Market saying it “violates the Android Market Content Policy.” Way to go captain obvious.

This only highlights the many privacy and safety concerns swirling around Apple and Android platforms.  In some ways, both platforms have inched towards a middle ground.  Apple’s become more lenient with its app approval process, though its apps have been known to let in malware attacks.  On the other hand, Google has stepped in when need be, despite the running joke that it’s a free-for-all marketplace in the mobile realm.


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