FTC approves settlement with HTC over logging software

FTC approves settlement with HTC over logging software

In late February the FTC and HTC came to a tentative settlement over the manufacturer's poorly secured software, which included HTC Loggers. The commission voted three to none, with one commissioner recused, to require the company to patch the vulnerabilities and develop a security program that would undergo an independent assessment every other year for the next two decades. The American arm of HTC will also be watched closely regarding its security and consumer privacy claims. Any statements that are found to be false or misleading could lead to fines of up to $16,000 per violation. With the public comment period closed, the FTC has cleared the last hurdle to enforcing the settlement. Let's just hope others are taking heed, last thing we need is second round of electronic privacy scandals. Oh, wait...

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HTC settles with the FTC over claims of insecurities in logging software

HTC settles with the FTC over claims of insecurities in logging software

Much of the firestorm surrounding remote phone diagnostics in late 2011 ultimately enveloped Carrier IQ and the providers that used it, but HTC was also scorched by accusations that its phones' software flaws (including in HTC Loggers) made privacy breaches possible. The FTC went so far as to level charges against the company for allegedly not doing enough to secure software. That saga may be winding to a close now that HTC's American division has agreed to settle the whole affair. The smartphone designer has to do more than just deliver patches, which it already has -- it's now required to run a "comprehensive" security program to weed out flaws in advance, and it will be the subject of outside assessments every other year for the next 20 years. As tough as those conditions may seem, they're easier than dealing with fines or stiffer penalties. They'll hopefully prevent repeats of any privacy scares as well, even if the real-world risk has been slight.

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Via: The Verge

Source: FTC