Apple’ 3G iPhone Application Store is doing brisk trade with iDateMe – a Trojan horse application.
Odd though it may seem the application is being designed to work as a trap for thieves, who supposedly are so keen to go Mobile Dating that when they steal your phone it’s the first thing they are going to want to do.
The application is supposed to work like this:
1. You pay $0.99c and download this application from the iPhone App Store
2. You enter your email notification settings
3. A thief steals your iPhone
4. The Thief is intrigued by your dating life AND when he sees the iDateMe logo he cannot help but press it
5. An image of a couple having sex appears alongside the words “One moment please… connecting to dating database”
6. The GPS coordinates of your iPhone are sent to your email account
7. After a short while, iDateMe displays an error message, suggesting that a connection to the online database could not be established. (Code 0×100 = Email sent, 0x10F = Localization not possible).
Now i can immediately see some gaping problems with this:
1. I thought Apple weren’t allowing adult content. What if a child inadvertently picks up your phone and presses the brightly lit button?
2. Shouldn’t a victim of mobile theft just deactivate their phone by calling their network operator (as this would also prevent them running up your phone bill).
3. Wouldn’t it be better to have a PIN Code lock on your mobile (as this would also prevent access to all the personal information/pictures/contacts/emails you may have stored on your device.
4. Is it a bit too much of a presumption to think a thief wants to go Mobile Dating with their victims identity/profile?
5. Will it work if the user swaps out your SIM card? I guess you have to hope the theif will have their connection settings set up correctly.
6. Wouldn’t email be quite pointless – particularly if (like lots of people do) you have it set up on your mobile. The chances are your thief will know have been sent an email notifying you of their address long before you will!
7. By publishing the error code 0x10F that means “Localization not possible”, obviously the application makers are being upfront about the fact that it doesn’t always work. I wonder if the thief would try again.
8. The GPS location is not often that accurate and is reliant on the thief using the application from their home or somewhere that you can find them. If they are out and about (eg. stealing more things), moving (eg. on the subway, in a car) or live in high rise apartments (within meters of hundreds of other people) you can forget about any hope of tracking them down.
9. Do you really want to have to meet with the person who stole your mobile? They may live in a rough area, they may have sold it on, they may know about the iDateMe application and be lying in wait for you.
It’s definitely an attention grabbing icon, an interesting innovation and I’m sure these small problems can be fixed, but i think it also exposes the multitude of privacy issues that go hand in hand with applications that need to be installed on your mobile. Applications often come with lots of small print and this can mean you permit the service provider to access parts of your phone that you would prefer to keep private for example in this case it’s your location but it could just as well be your contact list or emails & texts.
Please note: Because The 3G Dating Agency only works in your web browser you can be sure that you have the maximum level of privacy when using the service – your contact details and any personal information on your phone remains completely protected.
