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And well they should! There is no reason for all these apps to be so invasive....

The other 14 companies do not warrant mentioning?

We used to be taught that in the future we'd have more to worry about unelected companies holding our personal information than any held by government organisations - that time has arrived.

WallyDuke, on 15 March 2012 - 10:28 AM, said:

Hello--PCWorld copy editor here. I share your annoyance at incomplete reporting of basic facts such as the full roster of defendants in a class-action lawsuit.

Unfortunately, in typical Web fashion, much of the information available about this lawsuit from online searches is merely an echo of Jaikumar Vijayan's original Computerworld story. But I'm happy to report that TechCrunch reporter Ingrid Lunden, in an article posted yesterday called "Austin's Other Event: A Class Action, Mobile App Privacy Lawsuit Filed Against Facebook, Twitter, Apple, 15 Others" (http://techcrunch.co...pple-15-others/), actually lists all 18 defendants. They are, in alphabetical order: Apple, Beluga, Burbn, Chillingo, Electronic Arts, Facebook, Foodspotting, Foursquare, Gowalla, Hipster, Instagram, Kik Interactive, LinkedIn, Path, Rovio, Twitter, Yelp, and ZeptoLab.

Thanks for reading.

Forgive me if this obvious, but how should users protect themselves from malware apps on mobile devices?

edelbrp, on 15 March 2012 - 07:16 PM, said:

Maybe... buy apps that are screened/vetted by the vendor first (e.g. Apple)?

edelbrp, on 15 March 2012 - 07:28 PM, said:

No. Both iOS apps and Android apps are collecting data so it makes no difference you are getting from Apple or not. In fact, Apple is being sued too. In this case, I think the Android OS is better. Whenever you install an app, Android lists what the app can do e.g. read contacts, read/send sms, get your location, etc. You decide whether to install or cancel.

BTW, when I try to login with my google account to leave this comment, I notice PCWorld is asking permission to read my Google contacts. No thanks. I create a new account instead.

So Apple want to convince us that iOS is secure and safe for the enterprise environment.

I guess it is safe so long as you don't have any confidential material on it.

Who needs to write email harvesting viruses when you can make money selling apps instead?

Yargs, on 15 March 2012 - 07:04 PM, said:

I don't believe the writer meant the reporting was incomplete. I think he meant exactly what he said. I believe he was questioning whether the other 14 were even worth mentioning. I"m glad you did and most of them are not worth mentioning.

edelbrp, on 15 March 2012 - 07:28 PM, said:

Has Apple software never been pirated?