Popular Apps Stop Working As TfL Kills API

A mobile app purchased by around 100,000 people is currently crippled after Transport for London withdrew a key data stream. The journey planner XML API was killed without warning a week ago, apparently in the face of a security threat. Two prominent travel applications (London Travel Deluxe and London Tube Deluxe Pro, both created by Malcolm Barclay) are currently out of action. Service is expected to resume soon, but the incident highlights the precarious nature of applications that rely on third-party data. As well as inconveniencing users, the interruption of service is potentially damaging to the developer's reputation, and certainly to his sales. Can customers demand their money back, and would the developer or TfL be responsible for compensation? A cautionary tale for our increasingly interconnected world.