Storm8, maker of a series of popular iPhone games has been accused of secretly collecting users’ phone numbers. A lawsuit lodged in the US says the firm has been deliberately spying on gamers. Read on for the full story…
iPhone owner and gamer Michael Turner of Washington has filed a complaint against Storm8 and is encouraging other US iPhone users to join him. Storm8 claims to have sold 20m apps and has 7 games in the iTunes App Store Top 100. It’s titles include iMobsters and Vampires Live.
Turner’s complaint suggests Storm8 used concealed code to bypass the iPhone’s security. It says: “Storm8 makes use of the ‘backdoor’ method to access, collect, and transmit the wireless phone numbers of iPhones on which its games are installed.”
Storm8 has been accused of eavesdropping on its users in the past. Earlier
this year, SFGate writer Yobi Benjamin revealed the information he believed Storm8 was taking from his iPhone.
Storm8 has acknowledged that it has collected users’ phones numbers but blames the issue on “a bug that has been fixed”. Turner’s lawyers do not accept that explanation: “Storm8′s characterisations of its practice of harvesting phone number as a ‘bug’ and an ‘oversight’ are false.”
Apple has yet to comment on the exploit that has apparently allowed Storm8 to access and transmit phone numbers. Has it taken steps to avoid this happening again in future? Perhaps the new iPhone Security Manager can look into it.
Out now | £free | Storm8 (via The Register)
