App Auto-Tweets False Piracy Accusations

[wraggster]

Certain iPhone and iPad applications from a Japanese company have broken software piracy detection mechanisms that are sending out tweets on the user's own Twitter account (http://www.pocketables.com/2012/11/enfour-inc-screws-up-big-time-makes-dictionary-app-auto-post-false-accusations-on-users-twitter-accounts.html), saying, 'How about we all stop using pirated iOS apps? I promise to stop. I really will. #softwarepirateconfession (https://twitter.com/search/realtime?q=%2523softwarepirateconfession).' The trouble is, it's sending these out on accounts of users who actually paid up to $50 or more for the software and who are legally using it. The app is asking for access to users' Twitter accounts, but does not give the reason why it is asking, so the author of the article concluded (rightly) that things were being done deliberately (http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/11/ios-apps-hijack-twitter-accounts-post-false-confessions-of-piracy/). Would you want your legally purchased software to send out messages to all of your contacts on Twitter or on other social networks saying that you were a software pirate? Would you excuse the writers of the software if it was just an error in their piracy detection measures?

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/12/11/13/2249203/app-auto-tweets-false-piracy-accusations