This app in Google Play wants to use phone mics to enforce copyrights
If ever there were a case for rejecting requested device permissions, it's made by an Android app with more than 10 million downloads from Google Play. The official app for the Spanish soccer league La Liga was recently updated to seek access to users' microphone and GPS settings. When granted, the app processes audio snippets in an attempt to identify public venues that broadcast soccer games without a license.
According to a statement issued by La Liga officials, the functionality was added last Friday and is enabled only after users click "yes" to an Android dialog asking if the app can access the mic and geolocation of the device. The statement says the audio is used solely to identify establishments that broadcast games without a license and that the app takes special precautions to prevent it from spying on end users.
According to the statement, which was translated by Google:
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