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Friday, July 19, 2013
by Katie Johnson
A mobile application touting the release of rapper Jay-Z's new album has come under fire for the app's requirement that users connect with their social media accounts, among other privacy claims.
Samsung Electronics Co. purchased 1 million digital copies of Jay-Z's "Magna Carta . . . Holy Grail" album prior to its release. Through a mobile app called "Jay-Z Magna Carta" the company provided some Samsung mobile device users with the ability to download the album for free prior to its July 4 release date.
In a July 12 request for investigation to the Federal Trade Commission, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), a privacy advocacy group, said Samsung "failed to disclose material information about the privacy practices of the App, collected data unnecessary to the functioning of the Magna Carta App, deprived users of meaningful choice regarding the collection of their data, interfered with device functionality, and failed to implement reasonable data minimization procedures."
According to EPIC, more than half a million consumers downloaded the app.
Samsung required the app's users to have an account with Facebook or Twitter, the request for investigation said. The app requested a user's permission to post on his or her social media accounts, and it required a user to post a Facebook status update or a tweet to "unlock" song lyrics. "The unlocking process therefore encouraged users to flood their friends with unwanted advertising, forcing users to act as 'mandatory marketing tools' if they wished to access the lyrics," EPIC alleged.
EPIC said the company "required consumers who consented to using the Magna Carta App to also consent to the full range of Facebook or Twitter's business practices, thereby depriving them of the choice to use the Magna Carta App alone." This requirement restricted users' ability to choose how their information is collected and used, EPIC said.
EPIC contended that the company's practices violate Section 5 of the FTC Act, which prohibits unfair and deceptive acts and practices.
"We are aware of the complaint filed with the FTC, and believe it is baseless," Samsung said in a statement provided by a spokeswoman to BNA July 18. "Samsung takes customer privacy and the protection of personal information very seriously."
"Our permissions are in line with other apps' standard permissions," the company added. "Samsung is in no way inappropriately using or selling any information obtained from users through the download process."
Copyright 2013, The Bureau of National Affairs, Inc.
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