Japanese boyfriend-tracker app an unwanted program?

After receiving complaints for invading privacy, a Japanese firm toned down the functions of its "boyfriend-tracker" mobile phone application labeled by a security software provider as a "Potentially Unwanted Program." The original "Kare Log (Boyfriend Log)" app was developed by Tokyo-based "Manuscript" for wives and girlfriends keeping tabs on their partners. The app had gained flak from people who discovered it was secretly installed in phones. "We had around 60 complaints by email but I cannot count how many phone calls we took from people who were unhappy that it had been installed on their phones," Manuscript president Yoshinori Miura told UK's The Daily Telegraph. Miura noted the initial app had also been criticized in online forums, while security software provider McAfee identified it as a "Potentially Unwanted Program." Highly popular Despite criticisms against it, the boyfriend-tracker, advertised to women who wanted to know where their husbands were, was highly popular. The first version of the app was downloaded more than 24,000 times in 10 weeks. The relaunched version was downloaded 500 times in less than 24 hours, Miura said. The company described the new version as more of a "location service for lovers," The Telegraph said. "(Also), the new version requires a password to access the information and we see it as a way in which couples can share information with each other," The Telegraph quoted Miura as saying. For the app, the firm charged a basic Y525 (£4.31) a month, which provided the location of the phone and the amount of energy left in the phone's battery. A £15.83 "platinum plan" allows a member to access the list of all the calls that had been made from the phone, including the dates, times and durations, as well as details of other applications that had been installed. The app ran seamlessly on the background and without signal to the tracked individual. Issues about invasion of privacy thus came into the picture because the owner of the smartphone might not even realize that his whereabouts are being monitored. Communications ministry The Telegraph reported Japan's communications ministry has pitched in on the issue of privacy regarding the initial version of the app. In a statement, the communications ministry said, "The consent of a tracked individual is very important. There were problems with the way that Kare Log was advertised." First launched on August 30, the original app could be installed into a smartphone and a computer could then be used to monitor the whereabouts of the device – and presumably the owner, through its GPS data. - with AM Marzoña, VVP, GMA News