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Google Has Reportedly Removed More Than 100 Apps
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Google has reportedly removed more than 100 apps [news.com.au]:
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Google has reportedly removed more than 100 apps with tens of millions of downloads after allegations the apps were part of a co-ordinated group that may have violated store policies.
The group allegedly involves at least 27 separate app developers (that could also be pseudonyms), according to tech outlet CyberNews [cybernews.com].
The outlet alleges the apps were made (and often ripped off from other developers, including some in the alleged network) to generate ad revenue.
Most of the apps are simple ones focusing on things like scanning PDFs and making photo collages, likely deliberately chosen because they provide sought after services people want quickly and are likely to download them without thinking too hard about it.
The research alleges the group’s apps were downloaded 69 million times and could have been generating $US10,000 a month, or even up to $US1 million, though they say it’s likely to be on the lower end of that spectrum.
But the apps don’t appear to require much work to make and publish on the Google Play Store, which is what initially raised the suspicions of the researchers, after discovering links between different developers.
The app developers mostly have a first name-last name style developer name usually featuring Western-style names, which might seem like a tenuous link at first, but it goes deeper.
The developers all use the same Privacy Policy with names changed.
The websites for the apps all have similar URLs and lead to similar landing pages for websites that haven’t been set up yet.
Some of the apps have been directly copied from other more popular apps.
“These apps are exactly the same,” CyberNews reported. “The only difference is that the [network’s] app is flooded with ads, including interstitials after nearly every user interaction.”
Some of the cloned apps changed minor things like the colours of buttons and banners, but others are identical.
Suspiciously, the name of some of the apps on the Play Store also changed names after being installed.
Multiple apps in the alleged network appear to have been adapted from the same master templates as well.
The research doesn’t conclusively reveal where the network is based, but all the evidence seems to point towards Asia, with Vietnamese postcodes on some developer pages, and references to Chinese telecoms in the code of some actual apps.
It’s also not clear if the apps have any more nefarious purpose than simply generating ad revenue, but the researchers warned that even if that was their main focus, the apps would provide an inferior experience to the one’s they’d been copied from and should be deleted anyway.
The full list of apps below.
Glitch Effect Video, Photo Editor Grainy Effect
Mod for Minecraft, Mods For Minecraft Animals 2019
Voice Changer, Voice Recorder Editor With Effects
Sketch Photo Editor And Pencil Sketch Art
Horoscope 2019 With 12 Zodiac Sign Master
Face Makeup Camera & Beauty Photo Makeup Editor
Video Editor With Music App, Video Maker Of Photo
Call Recorder Automatic, Call Recording 2 Ways
Screen Recorder With Facecam & Audio, Video Editor
Nucie Cam: Beauty Selfie Camera With Photo Editor
PDF Scanner Camera Scanner: JPG To PDF Converter
App Locker Fingerprint, PIN And Gallery Locker
Photo Collage Maker And Picture Grid Art Frame
Metronome And Tuner For Instrument
Relax Sound Sleep Music And Soothing Sounds
Cut And Paste Photo Editor With Background Eraser
Screen Recorder With Audio And Facecam, Screenshot
App Locker With Password Fingerprint, Lock Gallery
Video Maker With Music Photos, Video Effects App
Photo Collage Maker And Picture Grid, Photo Layout
Video Editor, Video Maker With Music Photos & Text
Video Editor With Music And Effects & Video Maker
Cut And Paste Photo Editor To Change Background
Screen Recorder, Game Recorder With Facecam, Audio
JPG To PDF Converter With Camera Scanner To PDF
Bubble Level Ruler With Inclinometer Free
RAR File Extractor And ZIP Opener, ZIP RAR Creator
Automatic Call Recorder Incoming And Outgoing App
App Locker With Password, Photo Gallery Locker
Colour Call Screen Themes With Flash On Call
Glitch Effect Video Editor And VHS Effect Photo
Internet Browser Private To Download Videos HD
Dual Account Double Space, Multi Account App
Alarm Pill Reminder, Medical Reminder And Tracker
Pixel Art Colour By Number & Sandbox Colouring Game
Period Tracker, Menstruation & Ovulation Calendar
Call Screen Themes With Flashlight On Call
App Locker Fingerprint & Password, Gallery Locker
Video Player All Format 2019 With Media Player App
Photo Collage Maker And Photo Grid 2019 New
Video Editor Of Photos, Video Recorder With Music
MP3 Music Player, MP3 Cutter Ringtones Maker
Beauty Camera, Makeup Photo Editor And Makeover
PIP Photo Editor With PIP Camera Photo Maker 2019
School Hairstyles Step By Step, Braiding Hairstyle
Pixel Art Color By Number 2019 & Sandbox Colouring
Jigsaw Puzzles For Adults And Picture Puzzles
Flower Drawing Step By Step With Mandala Colouring
Photo Editor With Square Blur Pic, Slim Body
Vlog Editor And Video Maker With Music Photos
Battery Charger With Battery Saver And Optimiser
Memory Booster And Cleaner With Ram Optimiser
Volume Booster and Equaliser, MP3 Music Player
Phone Cooler Master And CPU Cooling 2020
Kiwi VPN Connection For IP Changer, Unblock Sites
Volume Booster & Sound Enhancer Music Player
Cooler Master CPU Cooling, Free Phone Cooler
Antivirus Cleaner Mobile Security & App Locker
Internet Speed Test metre And Wi-Fi Test Speed
Perfect VPN Proxy To Unblock Sites With IP Changer
Data Saver And Data Manager To Control Data Usage
GoFox – Incognito Browser And Private Web Browser
Running Tracker With Step Counter And Calories
Buttocks Workout: 30 Day Workout & Diet Challenge
Automatic Call Recorder Both Sides To Record Calls
App Locker With Password Fingerprint, Lock Pattern
Volume Booster Music Player And Sound Booster
QR code Scanner & Barcode Reader, Product Checker
Assistive Touch: Easy Touch With Control Center
Voice Recorder And Editor With Cut Recorded Audio
Video Slide show With Music And Photos, Video Maker
Beauty Camera Makeup Face Selfie, Photo Editor
Cut Photo Editor Background Changer, Photo Filters
Vintage Camera With Photo Editor Filters & Effect
Screen Recorder With Facecam & Screenshot Capture
Video Editor, Video Maker With Music Photos & Text
Makeup Camera and Beauty Makeover Photo Editor
Pixel Art Color By Number & Sandbox Colouring Pages
CPU Phone Cooler To Cool Down Phone Temperature
UltraShark VPN – Free Proxy Server & Secure VPN
Caller Screen Themes With Color Call Flash Screen
Video Maker: Video Editor With Music And Slideshow
Math Solver With Steps & Graphing Calculator
Emoji Keyboard Themes & Color Fancy Keyboard
Slow Motion Video Editor & Fast Speed Video Maker
Graphing Calculator And Equation Solver Calculator
App Locker With Password Fingerprint, Photo Locker
Video Maker Of Photos & Effects, Slow Motion Video
Video Creator With Music & Video Maker Of Photos
Math Solver Camera With Equation Calculator
Mods For MCPE, Maps For Minecraft PE Free
Automatic Call Recorder Incoming And Outgoing Call
Fake Caller With Prank Calling & Call Simulator
Builder For Minecraft With Minecraft House
30 Day Challenge Workouts For Women, Weight Loss
RAR File Extractor And ZIP Opener, File Compressor
Screen Recorder With Audio And Facecam & Editor
Video Maker: Video Creator With Music And Photos
Makeup Photo Editor With Auto Makeup Camera
File Transfer To Another Phone And Share Anything
Voice Recorder Editor And HD Audio Recording
