The developer of a series of Android wallpaper apps whose applications were put into question last week over security concerns has been cleared by Google and back in the Android Market.
The saga began when Kevin MaHaffey, CTO of security firm Lookout, singled out Android wallpaper app developer “jackeey,wallpaper” and called it “a questionable Android mobile wallpaper app that collects your personal data and sends it to a mysterious site in China”. VentureBeat then published a story, under the headline “Android wallpaper app that takes your data was downloaded by millions.”
Later that day, Lookout amended its initial concerns, saying “there is no evidence of malicious behavior,” though the data the apps were collected remained “suspicious.” VentureBeat updated its story, but by that time was spreading over the interwebs like crazy.
Well, Google and found that the apps weren’t malicious or a threat to security, telling Computer World’s JR Raphael “The developer’s applications have been reviewed and the suspension has been lifted.” The Android team did, however, point out to the developer that the method in which it was storing user preferences was not necessary.
So now it seems this was just some bad coding and not malicious behavior. [Venture Beat, Computer World]
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Tags: Android, Android Market, Applications, Apps, google, kevin mahaffey, Lookout, wallpaper
