doubleTwist steals users' email addresses

[kdommeyer]

Preface: I use aliases for every single service I sign up for in order to track who exposed my email address if I receive spam. I use Google Apps for my primary email address (which I use for correspondence, but not services). I only use Google's authentication to sign in to Google products. I do not use it to sign into 3rd-party products, as doing so exposes my primary email address to other companies.

A couple days after installing doubleTwist Player on my phone, I received a promotional marketing email from doubleTwist sent to my primary email address. The only way doubleTwist could have gotten this email is by surreptitiously checking the Google account credentials on my phone. (At least, I think this is the only way. Correct me if I'm wrong.)

doubleTwist's Privacy Policy (http://www.doubletwist.com/privacy) says as much:

In order to provide the doubleTwist Software and certain doubleTwist Services, doubleTwist gathers and processes the following information.

Registration Information

User Profile

Feedback Information

Passive Information

E-mail addresses

Mobile phone number

Personal Data from other doubleTwist users You have added to Your friends list

We also use Your e-mail address to send You messages about the doubleTwist Services, Your doubleTwist Services account and other general announcements. We may also use Your Personal Data to contact You when necessary.

To clarify, I did not register an account with doubleTwist or explicitly grant it permission to see my email address or to email me.