E-book apps found 'stealing' private user info

What kind of electronic books do smartphone users prefer? When and how much of each book are they reading?

Some smartphone e-book applications have collected this sensitive information for developers without obtaining permission from users, according to sources.

The e-book market has been rapidly expanding, and is expected to grow to 200 billion (S$3.2 billion) yen in three years.

Therefore, experts are calling for clear guidelines on how e-book software should handle smartphone users' private information, as it can reveal their thoughts and beliefs.

Viewn, an application provided by the SoftBank group, features 42 items, including magazines, newspapers and television programs.

Since June 2010, the software collected identification data of smartphones that had installed the app, as well as kept records on items viewed by users - without first obtaining user permission.

Furthermore, in September, the app began collecting users' names and e-mail addresses.

"We collected this information because we allocated our profits to contracted companies based on how long users viewed their products," a Viewn official said.

However, the company revised the app's terms of service agreement on Jan. 20 to include a section stating it collects users' private data.

Previously, Viewn had "failed to clearly inform users of the fact" the application collected private data, a Viewn official said.

Another example is Magastore, an app that lets users download about 320 magazines and other items, operated by Dentsu Inc., a leading advertising agency, and others.

The Magastore iPhone app collects information such as what pages users enjoy reading or how long they spend on various reading materials.