Comments on: Google Can Remotely Remove Apps From Your Phone

By: Ron Finnerty

Ron Finnerty — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 22:59:55 +0000

OK folkes, I doubt google did go into anyones phone to remove an app. I do not doubt that they removed an app from the google marketplace…they house that on their servers.
Under California law (google HQ is in california if you didnt know that) anyone going into the network or computing device without permission is breaking the law and prosecutable. Do a google search for the exact wording of this law. It was because of laws like this that antivirus companies and others cannot just roll oout a web program to remove viruses from your computer for you …you must specifically allow them to do that.
GRC.COM has a great article/story about Steve Gibson the security guru and his efforts with the FBI trying to stop a know virus from spreading and being told he could not release a program to automatically remove it from peoples systems without them giving permission.
so i am not concerned about google reaching into my phone to yank an app out…why woould they bother. i am certain they have a mechanism that would block the bad app and release an update that would notify the user of the issue and have the user make the choice to remove the app or not.
You all do read all that stuff as you keep clicking yes when installing a new app, don’t you?

By: thedicemaster

thedicemaster — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 20:11:24 +0000

people don’t seem to read enough here.
1-privacy: this has nothing to do with privacy, they don’t check every file on your phone for a malicious one. the market just checks the apps it installed to see if they are outdated or blacklisted.
2-removal of wanted apps: it’s not like you can’t protect apps from being removed(unlike the amazon/apple stuff), just install your apps through their apk file or a 3rd party market without killswitch.
oh, and it’s not like google is abusing this ability. so far they have deleted 2 apps, one that scams people and their own test app which they deleted to test this deletion system.

By: Jeremiah

Jeremiah — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:37:11 +0000

If I dare to complain you suggest I turn to Krazr?!
Is that the Google attitude?

By: why so serious

why so serious — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:29:08 +0000

Look at all the childish Apple fanbois crying because a product they’d never buy did something that doesn’t bother anyone using the product. Here’s a newsflash:

Google asked users for permission to do this when they agreed to use THEIR market to enhance the users PHONE. Don’t like it? Don’t use THEIR market and enjoy your PHONE. It’s like, your CHOICE and stuff. Now we all know you kids hate choice because then you have to think for yourself instead of being a lemming, but it’s part of growing up.

Google notified the users when they removed the apps. They also posted a blog post, which is the only reason you Apple fans are crying because nobody affected gives a crap. I’ve yet to see a single example of anyone affected that isn’t happy they did this.

The apps that were pulled were malicious.

Of course you idiots complaining would rather that malware be installed on the Android phones because you’re an iChild.

All your childish crying and raging on the internets won’t change what is going to happen to the phone market over the next couple years.

Deal with it.

By: Captain Obvious

Captain Obvious — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:31:07 +0000

If you don’t like it, you are more than welcome to send your Android to me and re-activate your Krazr. I hear they are pretty secure.

By: Jeremiah

Jeremiah — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:26:43 +0000

@Aaron,

WTF?!
Are you suggesting no one should ever complain about this sort of behavior? What a great reasoning!

@Brian,

How about Google admits doing something which is fundamentally anti-open source? What is open source from now on?

By: Larry Garfield

Larry Garfield — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 05:28:28 +0000

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

“Don’t be evil” only lasts as long as it’s profitable to do so. *No one*, not even Google, should have that kind of power.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 03:05:52 +0000

Quentyn Kennemer, good job writing an anti-google, anti-android article on an android fan website. Did you get confused and think this was a windows mobile or iPhone fan site?

By: Brandon

Brandon — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 02:33:37 +0000

until google does it for a shitty reason, im cool with it.

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:59:49 +0000

HEY ALL YOU COMPLAINERS…..READ YOUR MARKET TERMS OF SERVICE. It says they can take your first born also, and you clicked accept without even reading it! LMFAO!!!!

By: xarophti

xarophti — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:39:06 +0000

oddly, no one seems to be asking what app it was…

By: Larry G

Larry G — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 00:18:23 +0000

I can’t f…g believe this! outrageous

By: s

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 23:36:43 +0000

so does this mean they’ll remove all the youtube downloaders from people’s phones? good thing i back everything up to my SD card.

By: Quentyn K

Quentyn K — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:38:25 +0000

@Ratty I hope you aren’t implying that I must have extreme low-level knowledge of Android and that I must read every single word of the tou in order to be qualified to write about it. If that’s the case, you might want to reprimand every tech writer there is about the respective tech they right about because that “qualification” is unrealistic.

By: Lactose The Intoleratn

Lactose The Intoleratn — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 22:10:40 +0000

Guessing this can only be done with free apps… or can they get the money back from the dev when they recall-uninstall?