Google privacy slip-up sends app buyers' personal details to developers

[onehandle]

Source: ZDNet

Without asking permission, Google sends developers the personal details of everyone who buys their app from Google Play.

According to Australian developer Dan Nolan, Google sends him the name, suburb and email address of consumers that his app — enough to "track down and harass users who left negative reviews". Nolan discovered the trove of customer data on his "merchant account" recently while updating his seller payment details.

The main problem is that Google is not asking explicit permission from buyers to share that information with developers, Nolan said. "This is a massive oversight by Google. Under no circumstances should I be able to get the information of the people who are buying my apps unless they opt into it and it's made crystal clear to them that I'm getting this information," Nolan posted on his blog on Tuesday.

"This is a massive, massive privacy issue Google. Fix it. Immediately," he added.

Read more: http://www.zdnet.com/google-play-privacy-slip-up-sends-app-buyers-personal-details-to-developers-7000011249/

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'Privacy' is a foreign word in the Google world.

[BainsBane]

1. Some people worry about government's spying

When the real culprits are private enterprises. They are the ones who have our information. If it goes to the government, it's through them.

[wtmusic]

2. Nolan is a mensch.

Most developers would not take that kind of initiative.

[shawn703]

3. They also do this with Google Wallet

And I read them the riot act for it the other day. When I contacted a vendor about a product I bought that I hadn't received, they forwarded me a message they received from Google Wallet saying how they are working on this order. The forwarded message included my name and home address in it.

Google said that's all they send, not any credit card information, like that was okay.