We have often seen fraudulent or harmful apps making their way to the Play Store and App Store. This highlights a real problem with the moderation policies that companies like Google and Apple use to determine which apps are able to gain access to their marketplaces and platforms. The latest examples of such apps are trying to mimic Chat GPT.
It makes sense that malicious actors would want to copy Chat GPT because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up leveraging the enormous coverage the AI chatbot has received. The thing is, if a user were to download one of the fake apps, they would not actually get access to the real chatbot.
Rather, malicious actors seem to just be using the famous name to get people to download their apps. The apps might feature chatbots, but they won’t be as sophisticated as Chat GPT and to make matters worse they would contain a large volume of ads that would make the user experience less optimal than might have been the case otherwise.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Google and Apple are not really playing their part in protecting consumers. Apple has removed just 4 of the 49 apps that have been reported to be copying Chat GPT and using its name in the app title.
Meanwhile, Google has removed a couple dozen such apps, but that was only after they’d already been installed upwards of 138,000 times with all things having been considered and taken into account. That means that the damage will likely already have been done.
Google and Apple need to take a stand against fake and dubious apps that are making their way to the App Store and Google Play Store. If they fail to take the right measures, users might start to lose their trust in the company. It would be difficult for users to download apps if they can’t be sure that they are legitimate.
H/T: BusinessOfApps
Read next: Responsible use of technology is a developing concern for companies
It makes sense that malicious actors would want to copy Chat GPT because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up leveraging the enormous coverage the AI chatbot has received. The thing is, if a user were to download one of the fake apps, they would not actually get access to the real chatbot.
Rather, malicious actors seem to just be using the famous name to get people to download their apps. The apps might feature chatbots, but they won’t be as sophisticated as Chat GPT and to make matters worse they would contain a large volume of ads that would make the user experience less optimal than might have been the case otherwise.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that Google and Apple are not really playing their part in protecting consumers. Apple has removed just 4 of the 49 apps that have been reported to be copying Chat GPT and using its name in the app title.
Meanwhile, Google has removed a couple dozen such apps, but that was only after they’d already been installed upwards of 138,000 times with all things having been considered and taken into account. That means that the damage will likely already have been done.
Google and Apple need to take a stand against fake and dubious apps that are making their way to the App Store and Google Play Store. If they fail to take the right measures, users might start to lose their trust in the company. It would be difficult for users to download apps if they can’t be sure that they are legitimate.
H/T: BusinessOfApps
Read next: Responsible use of technology is a developing concern for companies
