Google pulled a slew of Android apps with more than 46 million downloads from its Google Play Store after security researchers notified the cloud giant that the code contained some sneaky data-harvesting code. Apps included a speed camera radar, several Muslim prayer apps, a QR scanner, a WiFi mouse tool, a weather app and others.  A Panama-based company Measurement Systems developed the code, according to AppCensus co-founder Joel Reardon, whose mobile app testing firm discovered the overly nosy software, reported it to Google, and published research about how it works.  According to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the story, Measurement Systems has ties to a Virginia defense contractor that does cyber-intelligence, network-defense and intelligence-intercept work for US national security agencies.  Google removed the apps as of March 25, but said they could be re-listed if they removed the dodgy code to comply with Google Play Store’s rules for collecting users’ data.

Read full article on The Register