Re: Smartphone maker HTC settles with FTC over security flaws

[Steve Pirk <pirkster () gmail com>]

This is why I always try and buy genuine Google devices, like the Nexus 1
(htc), the Nexus 7 (Asus?) and now the Nexus 4 (htc) to replace the N1.
Google does not let htc (or anyone else) mess with the OS on devices they
sell themselves (as far as I know... :) I also get updates as soon as
Google releases them.

-- steve <http://pirk.com>


On Fri, Feb 22, 2013 at 6:57 PM, Jeffrey Walton <noloader () gmail com> wrote:

> http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/smartphone-maker-htc-settles-with-ftc-over-security-flaws/2013/02/22/f438ed92-7d28-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_story.html
>
> The Federal Trade Commission announced Friday that it had settled
> charges that HTC America had inadequately secured its smartphones and
> tablets, leaving sensitive user information vulnerable to malicious
> programs.
>
> Regulators said that HTC had modified the operating systems on its
> mobile devices, adding features that left customers vulnerable to
> applications that can secretly collect information such as call logs
> and location data. The case highlights growing concerns that the
> fractured nature of popular smartphone platforms, in which
> manufacturers customize Google’s and Microsoft’s operating systems,
> can leave an opening for hackers.
>
> Many owners of HTC products received patches to plug security holes
> after the issues came to light in 2011. The company said in a
> statement Friday that it is working to update the rest of the phones.
>
> The FTC declined to comment on whether it is investigating other
> handset makers over similar concerns, but said the case is just one
> piece of the agency’s look at mobile security and privacy issues.
>
> Last month, the agency released guidelines for mobile app developers
> on the best ways to notify users about their data and privacy
> policies, and it has advised smartphone makers to think about ways to
> test, address and respond to security issues during the development
> process.
>
> “It’s important that they think about security by design,” said Nithan
> Sannappa, an attorney in the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
>
> As part of the settlement, HTC America must establish a comprehensive
> security program. It is also prohibited from making false or
> misleading statements about its security.
>
> The settlement is another blow for HTC as it fights to regain lost
> smartphone market share.
>
> It was the first to offer an Android phone and once manufactured the
> most popular phones for the operating system. But the company’s market
> share has fallen steeply in the face of competition from Samsung and
> Apple.
>
> At the end of 2012, HTC had 32 percent of the world’s smartphone
> market, down from 46 percent in 2011.
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