back to article Bogus Android markets seized in FBI software crackdown

The US Department of Justice reports that three domains selling stolen Android applications have been seized in a combined operation by the FBI and international police. Visitors to applanet.net, appbucket.net, and snappzmarket.com hoping for hooky apps will be disappointed to see the FBI's warning page showing that the Feds …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    3 down, 999.997 to go

    oh crap another 6 opened up.

    3 down, 1.000.003 to go

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Dangerous

      Dangerous precedence, they don't like it so they block it.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: 3 down, 999.997 to go

      Who runs pirate sites in law abiding countries anyway... must have been n3wb13z

      1. Captain Scarlet
        Coffee/keyboard

        Re: 3 down, 999.997 to go

        France so I assume OVH for cheap dedicated servers

  2. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    "...selling stolen Android applications..."

    Makes you wonder why they bothered.

    I would have thought it would be easier to sell copies.

    You'd make more money as well.

    1. Tom 35

      What do they do

      Go up to people at bus stops with a knife and demand they hand over all their apps?

  3. toadwarrior
    Trollface

    No problem, it's dead easy to find many more through Google.

  4. nigel 15

    they charged?

    What's the going rate for a pirated 60p app?

    A million people have just gone 'oh right I can get pirated apps for my phone?'

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "Cracking down on piracy of copyrighted works – including popular apps – is a top priority of the Criminal Division"

    Glad you've got that terrorist thing knocked down... Say, how come we're still getting strip searched at the airport?

    1. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
      Big Brother

      That's the TSA (aka Unemployable People Fingering You) - Another division ENTIRELY

      More divisions, "special" sections and different uniforms than in the heyday of the 3rd Reich? Yes, we can!

  6. Keep Refrigerated
    Headmaster

    Accuracy

    The biggest thing that irks me right now is tech sites as well as the mainstream media stating the websites have been seized due to "piracy".

    Wouldn't it be more accurate to state "accusations of piracy" until a court of law has decided on the matter. After all... you wouldn't seize an innocent website, hold it illegally for 12 months and then drop the case when you realise no crime has been committed... oh... you would..."

  7. banjomike
    WTF?

    I thought the FBI were on Apple's payroll?

    Why are they playing away from home?

  8. Dave Bell

    I've seen reports elsewhere which have the FBI saying the big problem is non-Google apps stores. This problem would go away if you could only get the apps through Google.

    It would be sort of nice if every Android device supported the Google store. I suspect they get confused about Open Source as well.

    1. Trygve

      I think you misunderstand...

      The key word you need to focus on is "only". Mind you, I can imagine it wouldn't exactly break hearts at the googleplex if they had to write an announcement along the lines of "due to increasing pressure from the global law-enforcement community, from v5.2 onwards Android will no longer support third-party app stores"

    2. Mark .

      "This problem would go away if you could only get the apps through Google."

      Please, no! By this logic, the problem would "go away" if you couldn't run software at all, but that doesn't make it a good thing. The harm from having all software distribution in the hands of just a few companies seems greater than a few pirated apps, especially as the latter are still illegal anyway, and can be dealt with just the same (there's also nothing stopping someone uploading a pirated application to Google Play, just that Google would respond to a DMCA request where as a dodgy store wouldn't).

      The freedom to download software anywhere, whether it's on Windows x86 or Android, is good for consumers and developers. Just this week, I've tried out Opera Mobile store, and am getting a whole load of extra downloads for my apps. I've also been browsing the wonderful F Droid, which is a great way to find open source, something you can't search for easily on Google Play (the only search being "paid" or "free", where the latter almost always turns out to be ad-ware that they don't admit to).

      (I'm not sure if you were agreeing with the argument, or just saying what they thought ... but either way, I think it's a bad idea:))

  9. Shannon Jacobs
    Holmes

    You can't get no respect, even if you're the FBI?

    Judging by all the "FBI" spam these days, I'm kind of amazed they can do anything. Maybe it's just a trap? By pretending the spammers have no respect, they're trying to lure the suckers without getting accused of entrapment?

    Anyway, I still wish there were some effective anti-spam tools available. Among other features, the FBI could get monthly reports on the trends in spam that claims to be from the FBI. Maybe there'll be a slump next month as an indirect response to these arrests?

  10. dssf

    Missing Flags....

    Where are the French and Italian flags in the image. The assisting countries should own a stake (and co-responsibility) and get some viz, too.

  11. Baudwalk

    With the low prices for the vast majority of mobile apps...

    ...why on Dawkins' green earth do people bother with these (possibly malware-infested) sites?

    With DVDs I can understand feeling pissed off at those annoying, over the top, unskippable pieces of shite^Wpropaganda the b'stards force upon paying customers. But Android apps?

  12. dssf

    To the downthumber, I ask again...

    Where are the French and Italian flags? It WAS a joint operation, wasn't it? But, I must bow (but not butt bend over) to the possibility that:

    a, you're 'merkun and despise the French or Italians and don't want them to diminish the grandeur of the FBI

    b, you're French or Italian, and despise the F/I involvement for the risk of blow back that may spawn from cooperating with the FBI

    c, WTF, I should just give up trying to figure you out....

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