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BUCHAREST, ROMANIA -- (Marketwire) -- 07/19/12 -- Bitdefender's Clueful, an app considered by tech media to be an awareness tool for iPhone owners' privacy, has been removed from Apple's App Store.

Apple informed Bitdefender's product development team of the removal -- for reasons the company is studying -- after initial approval and sale in the App Store. iPhone owners who already use Clueful may continue to do so.

Clueful was created to address the lack of insight into app privacy on the iOS platform. iPhone owners need to know which apps they have installed may be using their personal data in ways that are not expected. The Clueful team is committed to raising awareness about app privacy on the iOS platform and will continue to develop Clueful for resubmission.

During Clueful's analysis of more than 65,000 popular iOS apps, Bitdefender research found that:

• 42.5 percent of apps do not encrypt users' personal data, even when accessed via public Wi-Fi
• 41.4 percent of apps were shown to track a user's location unbeknownst to them
• Almost one in five of the apps analyzed can access your entire Address Book, with some even sending your information to the cloud without notification

"While most app developers use this information for legitimate purposes, others might not," said Bitdefender Chief Security Researcher Catalin Cosoi. "Clueful was the best way for iPhone owners to know what data apps are actually accessing. While Clueful remains off the App Store, we are working toward building data privacy awareness and will continue to develop products that help consumers remain secure regardless of platform."

About Bitdefender®

Bitdefender is the creator of one of the world's fastest and most effective lines of internationally certified internet security software. Since 2001, the company has been an industry pioneer, introducing and developing award-winning protection. Today, Bitdefender technology secures the digital experience of around 400 million home and corporate users across the globe.

Recently, the company won a range of key independent recommendations in the US, UK and across Europe, including ConsumerSearch, Stiftung Warentest and Taenk. Bitdefender antivirus technology has also finished top in leading industry tests from both AV Test and AV-Comparatives. More information about Bitdefender's antivirus products is available from the company's security solutions press room.