Apps, Mobile & SMS

Holy Magna Carta, Jay-Z! Samsung Album App Crashes, Gets Leaked, Hacked and Way Too Personal

Yes-we-scanJay-Z's exclusive app release has gotten a lot of news as a marketing move. As an actual app it hasn't fared as well. The overreaching app permissions have been widely noted. The app initially crashed on July 4th and the music was debuted first on radio. The album was quickly leaked and the app itself was hacked in an NSA/Obama-related protest.

Killer Mike's tweet below put many on alert that way too much information was being requested by the Magna Carta Holy Grail app. Some were also disturbed by the requirement to tweet for every lyric unlock prior to the 4th.

Tech writers' headlines tell the tale:

Samsung's "free" Jay Z album delivered via Android spyware app

Jay-Z Is Watching, and He Knows Your Friends

Want to Listen to Jay-Z's New Album? Get Ready to Spam Your Friends

Andrew Cunningham gets detailed regarding the "most needlessly invasive Android app ever."

Jay-z-app-permissions

Killer Mike's Tweet Caught Attention

At 12 a.m. on the 4th many found that the app was frozen. So instead of officially premiering via the app, the album premiered via Funkmaster Flex on Hot 97.

Torrent sites have been busy which may have been partly fueled by a crashed app and an otherwise unavailable album.

Security researcher Irfan Asrar discovered a "new Android Trojan embedded in a pirated copy":

"The only visible indication that a user is infected comes via a time-based trigger that is set to activate on July 4, Independence Day in the United States. On that day, the malware will replace the wallpaper on the infected device with an altered image (below, second from right) of President Obama that comments on recent events in the United States."

I'm stuck between closing with a 99 Problems joke, a reference to living in interesting times and "when it rains, it pours."

More: Samsung Buys 1 Million Copies Of Jay-Z New Album "Magna Carta Holy Grail"

Hypebot Senior Contributor Clyde Smith (@fluxresearch/@crowdfundingm) also blogs at Flux Research and Crowdfunding For Musicians. To suggest topics for Hypebot, contact: clyde(at)fluxresearch(dot)com.

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1 Comment

  1. Even with the “stumble” and all the other glitches, I’m sure Mr. Carter made millions.

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