Thanks, this is really useful to fight scammers/spammers, etc. Let´s see in practice how it goes, and hope not seeing good apps getting kicked out from the directory :-)
Best Robson Dantas @robsondantas On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 7:31 PM, Bruno Oliveira ("btco") <bru...@google.com>wrote: > *TL;DR Summary of this post, if you are in a hurry:* > > > > *Good news:* your application is now under increased protection against > malicious apps! > > > > *Caveats:* Don't change the title of your application. Any title changes > will trigger the new name collision prevention algorithm, and if your new > title is found to collide with another existing application, your > application will be removed immediately. > > > > Attention Developers: > > Starting Friday (May 6), we will start enforcing our brand-new *name clash > protection* for live applications. Please read the information below to > make sure you do not accidentally cause your application to be removed > without notice. > > > *Name Collision Protection* > * > * > *1. How does it work?* > * > * > > Whenever an application changes its title, in any languages, our automatic > application reviewer (AppReviewer) will now test the new titles against all > other live applications in our database. If it detects a name collision, the > application whose title changed *will be taken down immediately and > without any human review or prior notification*. > > > *2. Why are you doing this?* > * > * > > We're doing this in order to protect live applications from malicious apps > that change their names in order to confuse users. This new algorithm will > catch any live applications that change their names in a way that conflicts > with the name of a live application. This means your legitimate application > now enjoys increased protection, since fake applications will have a hard > time copying your name! > > > *3. Can you give an example of the intended effect of this change?* > * > * > > Suppose you have a very successful app called Qwertyuiop. And suppose > another developer, your rival, has an application called "Asdfghjkl", that > is poorly written and no one uses it. Now, suppose this malicious user wants > to steal your success -- he renames his application to "Qwertyuiop 2: > Reloaded Deluxe Edition", hoping to trick users into thinking his app is an > upgrade to yours. With the new Name Collision Protection, this will no > longer be possible: AppReviewer would notice his application changed its > title and would detect that its new title conflicts with an existing > application, Qwertyuiop, and the malicious app would be taken down * > immediately*. Isn't that great news? > > > *4. So when do two names collide?* > * > * > > Names collide when they are substantially similar -- similar enough to > confuse the user who is doing a search for example. > > > *5. Are all names protected?* > * > * > > No. Only names consisting of 8 or more characters are protected. Smaller > names are not protected. > > > *6. Is there an exception for applications from the same developer?* > * > * > > Yes, applications submitted by the same developer (this means the account > that *submitted *the app, not the account that is listed as the author!) > can have similar names. This means that the developer who published > "Qwertyuiop" is allowed to publish "Qwertyuiop 2 Reloaded". But no one else > is. > > > *7. Why won't the developer be notified before his app is taken down > because of a name collision?* > * > * > > Because this would give a malicious developer time to profit from name > frauds. So, as a security measure, no prior notice will be sent. > > > *8. How can I make sure my app is not taken down for this?* > * > * > > It's simple: Don't change the title of your app. Ever. There are very few > legitimate uses for this, so we presume that an app that has changed its > name is probably up to no good. > > > *9. Can I predict that a name won't conflict by doing a search?* > * > * > > No. Our name clash algorithm is stricter than a simple text search, so even > if the name seems to be "available" when you do a regular search, it may > actually conflict with something that the search didn't show you, and this > will cause your application to be taken down. Again, see advice [8]: don't > change your title. Ever. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "orkut Developer Forum" group. > To post to this group, send email to opensocial-orkut@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > opensocial-orkut+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/opensocial-orkut?hl=en. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "orkut Developer Forum" group. To post to this group, send email to opensocial-orkut@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to opensocial-orkut+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/opensocial-orkut?hl=en.