“F***YourWallpapers” – internet users are scraping Marques Brownlee’s infamous Panels app, which is not only wildly expensive but also wildly unsafe.
Marques Brownlee, known as MKBHD on YouTube, has gained nearly 20 million subscribers for his edgy reviews of tech products and trends.
But now, the popular YouTuber finds himself in hot water after launching Panels, his new wallpaper app, which has sparked a wave of backlash from his fanbase.
Karma clapped back in the reviews pic.twitter.com/MoFjCBiN9n
undefined vittorio (@vittoriomta) September 24, 2024
The Panels app is supposed to provide access to a curated collection of "stunning, full-resolution wallpapers" created by digital artists. On September 24th, he was bragging about it on his X. “I'm so pumped to be launching this app!” he wrote.
However, the app has turned into more of a reputational suicide. It received instant and tremendous backlash, mainly for asking for too many invasive permissions.
iOS users of the Panels app have raised privacy concerns, noting that it requests permission to track activity across other websites and apps, as well as access location data.
I'll be honest, I just lost a bit of respect for Marques
undefined Shea (@concept_central) September 24, 2024
-Immediately asks to track app activity
-Also tracks location
-Has terrible design and animations
-Ads are absolutely everywhere
-$50/yr subscription
-The wallpapers aren't even that good https://t.co/4bfvHJb5jJ pic.twitter.com/OcR1qjPLvd
On Tuesday, Brownlee addressed the issues with an X post, telling its followers that he is working on fixing too broad data disclosure “as soon as possible.”
“For transparency, we'd never actually ask for your location, internet history, etc. The data disclosures (that everyone is screenshotting) is likely too broad, and largely driven by what the ad networks suggest,” he wrote.
Another issue that caught users' attention was the app's greedy pricing. The premium version costs $49.99 per year, while free users are left with the option to download low-quality wallpapers and watch unskippable ads.
Wildly insecure
But that’s not the end of the story. Internet users have now found that all the wallpapers available on the app are stored on a public bucket and accessible to anyone.
🤦Every single wallpaper is sitting in a public bucket https://t.co/E02X5dxhH6 pic.twitter.com/t6AQraSmfS
undefined AJ Stuyvenberg (@astuyve) September 25, 2024
Other users on X wrote that the Panel app is “very poorly made” and all payments are verified on the client’s side.
the panels app is very poorly made and all payments are verified on client side
undefined wukko (@uwukko) September 24, 2024
links to all wallpapers (hd/sd) are preloaded right after the app is launched, all you need are basic mitm skills to get them for free. the file with links isn’t authenticated or protected *at all* https://t.co/4OpBoF0vis
A security researcher, nicknamed I_Am_Jakoby on X, discovered that the app’s API is insecure. He created a basic script, naming the scraping function “FuckYourWallpapers,” which automatically collected high-resolution wallpapers and saved them in a folder called “dumbWallpapers.”
Some controversy today as YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee 'Panels' app is getting pretty substantial backlash.
undefined vx-underground (@vxunderground) September 25, 2024
tl;dr Marques Brownlee app, 'Panels', offers high-definition wallpapers from Digital Artists for $49.99/year. People criticized the app for an array of reasons,… pic.twitter.com/vwTjQFxcXR
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