The AVG Virus Scanner App for Windows Phone 7 smartphones has been removed from the Windows Phone Marketplace. Reportedly, the app contained some spyware which used to collect information such as email addresses, device information, user coordinates, and mobile carrier details.
The incident doesn’t reflect very well on the Windows Phone Marketplace certification process since the app with all its foibles did pass through all the filters in the first place.
Reacting to the news, AVG said in a blog post, “We worked closely with Microsoft on the development of this product. Our teams were trained by Microsoft and our software was provided to the company for review and certification prior to release. We did implement a number of requested changes provided to us by Microsoft. Some of the current key features of our Windows Phone 7 security software include the utilisation of several protection engines for both web security and file security.”
AVG says it doesn’t sell or share users’ data without their permission.