Hi, I'll keep this brief.
There is an app on the Google Play store claiming to be rimworld. It's obviously not, however this app steals users information when installed on the device. This app is slandering Rimworld (even though it's not actually) but I highly recommend Tynan or someone takes action on this. This is the APP (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rim.rimworld) I urge people to not install this app, and I also urge that everyone flags it for Copyright/Impersonation. To do this on the Play store, simply scroll down past the recommended apps and then click Flag as inappropriate.
Regards,
~CutiesDeathCab
P.S typed on a mobile, excuse my formatting and any spelling errors.
Thanks for the heads-up on this. I've emailed Tynan to let him know.
No thanks necessary, that's alright. It just seriously bugged me to see Rimworld/Ludeon being used like that.
Personally, if the updated date is accurate (22nd September), then I'm surprised it's still available. Since it surely must have been reported by now, unless everyone is leaving that job "for the next man". So either the reports were rejected or it takes Google this long to remove dodgy malware apps from their store. (I've never used the Google Play so I have no idea of how good their reporting/flagging system is, or how long it takes, but wouldn't expect something as obviously fake and suspect as this to have existed for almost three weeks).
I think this has to do with Who is Reporting.
If Tynan as Developer and Intellectual Owner of the Game reports this to Google
it is something different than RandomDude1337 writing that this App is exploiting the Name of a popular Game.
For the last case the reaction is : Thank you for reporting, we will look into it.
The reaction to the Developer asking is : We better remove this shit, before he goes legal on us.
I was surprised too, I mean, people like us can see that its fake, but i'm kind of amazed at the amount of people that installed it and then left comments afterwards, The permission it takes gives them so much information, They can send and delete texts, read, write and edit your internal and external storage, they get your contacts, your accounts on the device, its ridiculous.
and Certainly SpaceDorf, It'd have a major impact on the report. I just saw it and at first I was like, Oh cool, then I saw "Ivon Petrikov developer" and im like.. what? Then I looked into it. I'm mainly surprised this wasn't reported here before me. I searched general terms like "Play store" the "Developers name" etc.
Anyways, Good luck with it!
It is the same with personal Data.
If you find personal Data of yourself in Google, that you don't want to be public you can request the deletion of said Search Results.
Normally those are resolved in less than 3 Workdays.
Reports from Unconnected Sources have to be verified first.
If this guy had just taken RimWorld (or anyone else's game) and put it on Google Play "as is" then I could certainly see why it might require Tynan (the IP owner) to get it removed. But AFAICT this is just a malware app that should have been removed five minutes after someone from Google's (I'm sure extremely vast) tech department installed it and noticed it stealing personal data.
As such I'm confused as to how the specifics of whatever "game" this malware was pretending to be comes into play. As I assume, or had assumed, that obvious malware like this would just be removed for being harmful rather than for any IP infringement. I'd also assume such malware checks would have been made before it was allowed on Google Play to begin with. But as I said I've never used Google Play so have no idea how strict/lax they with these things (although seemingly far more lax than I'd assumed / imagined they would be).
You assumed Logic in the same sentence as Legal and Business. :o
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRFjBs3jNg1Rf1NLsrV-VSxZz3aa-SCZw4fc258v3UP66rMsz75tQ)
I filled out the report form https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/contact/takedown (https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/contact/takedown)
For the record, this stinky pile of junk is still on Play Store. Google doesn't seem to give two shits, sadly.
Quote from: Azamorn on October 10, 2017, 05:28:46 PM
I filled out the report form https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/contact/takedown (https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/contact/takedown)
me2 ..
read the answer mail ..
go fill out this form as well, this one goes to the legal department ;D ;D :
http://support.google.com/bin/static.py?hl=en&ts=1114905&page=ts.csScratch that .. this one has to be filed by a Member of Ludeon, who is legally able to mark a copyright infringement of their property.
I reported this thing. Hopefully they take it down soon.
wtf
I was all prepared to find a post along the lines of "my food doesn't stack properly and its URGENT!!" but good call OP for reporting it.
You can't pre-screen the 1.7 apps that get uploaded to the Google Play store each minute, but a small and inexpensive team of interns could pre-screen all the ones that ask for significant access to the phone. Absolute failure on Google's part before shoveling crap at the play store's customers.
Hi everyone, first of all, thanks for posting this, I've emailed Tynan and filed a complaint, I'll let you guys know how it goes. Cheers :)
It's gone by the looks of it! :) Not sure if it was user reports or Tynan's intervention as the IP holder, but the desired result has been achieved (not that such an obviously fake app should have been allowed on the Google Play in the first place, but that's a rant for another time).
Thanks again CutiesDeathCab for bringing it to our attention. Much appreciated.
Hi all,
I've had this removed. Thanks for flagging.
<back to lurking....>
@ mattd - Do you work for Google? Awesome if so as I just searched Google Play for other possible RimWorld fakes and found this app that looks just as fake and suspicious: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zdroid.guiderimWorldgame .
It seems to be passing itself off as a RimWorld guide, but the bumf says it "contains ads" so it's likely just more of the same ad malware (but I don't have a device myself that I can install it with to test it). I've contracted Tynan again to let him know but if you work for Google then it'd be great if you could check this app out and remove it if it is as dodgy as it looks.
The guide one is not anything malicious or attempting to trick anyone as far as I can tell. As the reviews suggest, it is not exactly a high-quality app, but it does seem to have a guide to playing RimWorld in there. There are ads but that is not unusual for a free app.
Just my personal view. I work for Google, but unrelated to the app store (but can help signal-boost requests for things like that first app to help get them looked at quickly) so no promises! :)
Quote from: Calahan on October 12, 2017, 01:35:43 PM
Thanks again CutiesDeathCab for bringing it to our attention. Much appreciated.
That's perfectly fine, I just didn't want to see the games reputation get damaged by something we clearly see as fake, but someone who's never heard of the game before, looks at the screenshots that were there and was like, Ooh, It looks like fun! then realises it's a fake app, stole their information, they tell their friends, friends and friends.. etc..
Anyways, Good to see it's gone. and to think, All of this happened because I went to the bathroom with RimWorld on pause, and I searched "RimWorld" on the play store instead of the google search bar... Haha.
~CutiesDeathCab