iPhone Game Developer Storm8 Responds to Privacy Complaints
Following our posts last week concerning the lawsuit against iPhone game developer Storm8 that alleged they used private API's to violate user privacy by collecting their phone numbers, the developer, Storm8, contacted TiPb with their side of the story:
I just saw your post on the iPhone blog that discusses Storm 8 and the Unity games issue, and I wanted to make sure that you saw the statement that we put out to our users outlining the proactive steps we’ve taken to address concerns so it can inform your coverage. This includes updating the applications in August so that current game versions do not download, store or use iPhone telephone numbers when a game is opened.
They further pointed us to a statement they issued on their community forum.
If this issue concerns you, take a read and let us know what you think.
[Updated: Storm8 didn't use the Unity-engine, but they did allegedly use the private API's that allowed access]
Editor-in-Chief of iMore, Executive Producer at Mobile Nations, co-host of Iterate and ZEN and TECH, cook, grappler, photon wrangler. Follow him on Twitter @reneritchie
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I wanna know how these apps got past Apple's approval in the first place. Isn't that why it takes so long to approve?
Too little too late. I deleted all my Storm8 games as soon as I found out they were hacking my info. Storm8 has damaged their reputation beyond repair in my opinion and can no longer be trusted. I was up to level 170 in Racing Live and dumped it all to further protect my privacy. I'm sure they will resell my info to someone as equally unscrupulous.
If they had half a brain they would leave the apps they have in the store, start a new company and release some new apps to build up a rep under the new name. No one would even know they were the same people for the most part. I guess at the same time your average user wouldn't know or possibly even are about the Storm8 debacle in the first place. I'm glad I've never used any of their apps and I never will in the future either.
They sound like a little kid who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
Why is Unity getting lumped into this? Storm8 used private APIs to steal information. They didn't use Unity. Unity's mono framework used the same APIs in a harmless way... Apple started automatically checking for private API calls and it started filtering Apps made in Unity. There are hundreds of games in the App store made with Unity - games that aren't stealing any information. The timing of these two events happens around the same time, but it is potentially really hurtful to legitimate developers who are using Unity to imply that there is any connection to what Storm8 did.
@UnityUser, the post has already been corrected.
RON JEREMY SAYS storm8 apps are some m or RON JEREMY's favs but the Ron can't have he's info resold.
And what can they possibly do if they do steal ur number???
I looked over the post by Widdershins and I can't help but feel that they weren't forthright fast enough and didn't come clean about everything fast enough to engender any trust. The fact they collected and STORED our information is bad enough but then claiming it was a mistake just takes the piss. Refunding our money for those who no longer trust you would go some way to rebuilding our trust but I think storm8 has badly damaged their credibilty.
The iSore is badly conceived and the approval process is badly implemented.
Having a good source of apps is great. Having only one source sucks badly.
Hello Storm8 have sent my Kingdoms Live account a flagged notice. My code is aha7k8 I have read what the reasons were for doing so. It will not happen again and the flagged screen still shows up before the app allows me to go to my homepage. It stops me from getting legend points and so on. I would really appreciate it if you would take that off. Once my codes aha7k8. Thank you