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What is Fleeceware? By SecureMac.com These days, we're all spending a lot of time online, and many of us are trying out interesting new apps to stave off cabin fever. If this describes you, then there's a threat that you should know about: fleeceware. In this short article, we'll tell you what it is, how it works, and what you can do to stay safe. What is fleeceware? The term "fleeceware" was coined by the British security researchers who have been investigating it. It refers to apps that charge an excessive monthly subscription fee after a brief trial period has ended — even if a user has uninstalled the app from their device. If the monthly billings aren't noticed, an unsuspecting user can rack up hefty credit card charges over time. The fleeceware developers know exactly what they're doing, and don't make it easy for people to get their money back after they've been "fleeced" by the deceptive software. Fleeceware is found in both Google Play and the App Store, so Android and iOS users alike need to be on the lookout for it. Is it malware? While fleeceware can be seen as a form of consumer fraud, it isn't malware: The apps per form their advertised functions, and are not overtly malicious. And although their subscription fees are exorbitant by most people's reckoning, there's no specific rule against overcharging for a product: If a developer wants to ask $40 per month for a calculator app, they're free to do so. Furthermore, the fine print for fleeceware apps isn't inaccurate, just misleading. Many people don't realize that there is a difference between a free app and a paid app with a "free trial" period; and they don't understand that uninstalling an app is not the same thing as unsubscribing from it, an important distinction that permits fleeceware to charge users at the end of the trial. All of this allows fleeceware developers to maintain their innocence, and claim that they aren't actually breaking any rules. Why doesn't Apple do something? You may be wondering why Apple and Google don't do something about deceptive apps on their platforms. The short answer to that question is that they do, when they're able to. Google has removed a number of fleeceware apps from the Play Store, and Apple has done the