So recently I discovered a “Free Code Camp” app on the Google Play marketplace. I also saw some obvious fakes but this one had the Free Code Camp logo so I gave it a try. Well, I’m not so sure if it’s legit. It wanted me to consent to some tracking ad networks and I’m not really comfortable with that. It also said it was created by a single individual who signed it, I thought FCC was a group effort.
Looks fake to me though I haven’t installed it myself.
One of the top voted comments reads like this
“Garbage: This app loads the free code camp mobile website. You can do that without this app by navigating to the site in your browser. It has no other functions. Additionally, it tries to make you agree to allow it to monitor your mobile phone use.”
But until someone with a @freecodecamp.org e-mail address who is in a position to represent free code camp files a takedown request it’s probably going to stay even if a cease and desist letter is send to google and the app publisher.
Their takedown processes insulate them from having to comply with cease and desist and protect them from lawsuits as long as they follow their own procedure.
Yeah, I’ve mentioned Quincy in this post so he will eventually pipe in and decide what to do.
It is unfortunate that someone is using the FCC name and goodwill to create a crappy product just to make money.
As to an FCC app, once you get beyond the most basic lessons, it involves so much typing that I don’t think a mobile device would be a good fit. Besides, so much of the testing relies on a browser so it would be very difficult to create a truly native mobile experience. And how to do you simulate hover events if you don’t have a mouse? Etc.
I think you’re right, I was just wanting it so I could see what the specifics were on a responsive Web Design project I was doing were. I imagine there’s a few other instance where it would still be useful, but if it had a text editor people would freak when it didn’t work.
Others do this with mobile apps, like SoloLearn but FCC would have to rework their curriculum a lot to make it work on a mobile app.
If I remember correctly, the FCC license is pretty much "as long as you don’t claim that we are involved in your project, you can do what you want. The app just appears to be a wrapper that opens FCC in your browser. I tend to suspect that all the required permissions are just the result of laziness, but why bother using the app regardless. I’m pretty sure that you can even bookmark FCC to your phone like an app (I have done this with the forum at least).
Quick update - I reached out to Google last week and got them to take this app down.
There was a LOT wrong about this app. First of all, it masqueraded as an official freeCodeCamp app. Second, it asked for as many data permissions as Google allowed, most of which it had no legitimate need to access.
It’s fine for developers to build freeCodeCamp-related apps - even paid apps or apps that have ads - but they can’t infringe on our trademark or pretend to be us.
Once our open API is live (which will have strong privacy protections), it should be much easier for people to build mobile apps around the freeCodeCamp community’s content.