Watch what apps you pirate

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They may grab all your personal information, and text everyone in your contacts telling them you are a pirate. http://www.osnews.com/story/24591/Honeypot_Android_App_Wreaks_Vigilante_Justice

If you download and use what appears to be a version of the commercial "Walk and Text" Android app from a file sharing site, you're in for a surprise. When you run it, it shows you that it's being "cracked" but it's really gathering information from your device, in preparation for an e-smackdown. It sends a bunch of personal information (name, phone number, IMEI) off to a server, and, just for lulz, text messages everyone on your contact list:
“Hey, just downlaoded a pirated App off Internet, Walk and Text for Android. Im stupid and cheap, it costed only 1 buck. Don’t steal like I did!”
Finally, the app displays a scolding message to the user, saying, essentially, we hope you learned your lesson.
 

Dave

Staff member
Huh. I had no idea you could get apps from secondary sites. I'll keep getting mine from the official app stores.
 
Good stuff, but....is that legal to do?
Probably depends on what exactly it does.

If you have your smartphone set up to allow apps access to your info, and you pirate an app, the developer of that app has no obligations to you under any kind of privacy policy.
 
It makes it even better that the app is only a dollar. Try explaining that one to all your contacts.
Heh, over here i'd probably have more problems explaining why i spent money on it.

Of course we don't even get the paid android market...
 

figmentPez

Staff member
Not nearly as severe, but Garry’s Mod catches pirates the fun way

In short, the game is set up so that pirated copies crash with a bogus error message. Not only that, but the error number is actually the users' Steam ID. When they complain on the forums, the number gets checked against actual purchases, and if there's not a match they get banned.
 
What kind of moron posts error reports for his pirated game on the official forums... if it's an actual error someone with a legitimate copy would have posted about it already.

And why do they use their actually bought copy of HL2 with a pirated copy of GMod?

Oh, and that wasn't clear, do they get banned from the forums or Steam?
 
I think they just get banned from the Gmod forums (not even SPUF). Seems a pretty mild reaction to piracy, all in all.

Came across a better article and apparently Steam does stop them from using the pirated GMod: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...er_Enables_Error_Message_To_Catch_Pirates.php


That's why it's called piracy. ;)
I think it has more to do with the program being owned by the developer and the fact that the pirates aren't legitimate customers, so they can't complain about their version not working.

And of course there's also the fact that the "error" doesn't actually send any data forward, so the pirates have to post their SteamID themselves.
 
J

Jiarn

I find it ridiculous to pirate anything $10 and under. Seriously, if you can't afford that, you shouldn't have the device that plays it. Plus, Garry's Mod has been like $3 a number of times on sale. As for phone apps? Seriously?
 
I find it ridiculous to pirate anything $10 and under. Seriously, if you can't afford that, you shouldn't have the device that plays it.
Pretty sure some 10$ games work on very cheap PC's, even hand me downs... and a PC can do wonders for someone's future, so investing in one makes economic sense, and so does internet, but buying games for them not really.
 
J

Jiarn

I have no idea what your point in response to mine was supposed to be.
 
That it's not that ridiculous if you consider certain circumstances?

Now if i could only find that pic of those asian kids playing games in a PC Baang while the whole region was flooded.
 
That it's not that ridiculous if you consider certain circumstances?

Now if i could only find that pic of those asian kids playing games in a PC Baang while the whole region was flooded.
No. Just no.

I had a more in depth reply ready, but this sums it up exactly.
 
Pretty sure some 10$ games work on very cheap PC's, even hand me downs... and a PC can do wonders for someone's future, so investing in one makes economic sense, and so does internet, but buying games for them not really.
I have a crazy idea, that I know some people just can't seem to get through their head, but then don't buy the games and don't pirate.

cue people's bullshit excuses.
 
I kinda see piracy as something you do as a dumb kid, and then grow out of when you realize what a dick move it is.
 
I have a crazy idea, that I know some people just can't seem to get through their head, but then don't buy the games and don't pirate.
Why? I mean if i can make myself a hammer that's exactly like the one someone is selling no one will complain that i should have bought it instead.

Seriously, the only actual good objective arguments i've heard are about it are for why you should buy it if you can, not why you shouldn't pirate it.
 
Why? I mean if i can make myself a hammer that's exactly like the one someone is selling no one will complain that i should have bought it instead.

Seriously, the only actual good objective arguments i've heard are about it are for why you should buy it if you can, not why you shouldn't pirate it.
I don't think anyone would complain if you programmed an exact copy of the game or recorded your own version of a song for your own use. No one is going to make their own hammer, and no one is going to make their own game. It's a horrible comparison.
 
BTW, the post about circumstances is simply meant as an explanation, not a moral justification, because any moral justification would rely on philosophy, and that's way too complex to actually get into and still have any free time so i can play my completely legal copy of Dragon Age that isn't mine, or anyone's in my household, and thus is of dubious legality too, even if i just borrowed it from a friend.


I don't think anyone would complain if you programmed an exact copy of the game or recorded your own version of a song for your own use.
Oh really: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-04-12-sega-stamps-on-streets-of-rage-fan-sequel

No one is going to make their own hammer, and no one is going to make their own game. It's a horrible comparison.
Some people might (pretty sure there are plenty of people making their own hammers around the world), and for video-games that's illegal either way (the copyright for the hammer would have expired some time around the birth of Gilgamesh though).
 
J

Jiarn

Don't forget about the shutting down of the Chrono Trigger 3D and Metroid 2 remakes.
 
Why? I mean if i can make myself a hammer that's exactly like the one someone is selling no one will complain that i should have bought it instead.
That's an incredibly terrible analogy. You're not making anything when you pirate software. You're taking the intellectual property of someone else without permission or payment. A better analogy would be, why write your own paper for a class, when you can just turn in someone else's.
 
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