Google warned Android app developers to give users better information about behaviors collectionς data of their applications. In case of non-compliance of the developers, company states that it will flag their applications.
Last Friday, the company announced corrections Safe Browsing rules and Google's "junk" policy.
If developers do not comply within 60 days, Google said it would warn users via Google Play Protect or Safe Browsing of "web pages that lead to these applications."
"Google Safe Browsing will display alerts on apps and websites that lead to apps that collect personal data without the user's consent," the statement said.
So if an application manages any kind of personal data (phone number, e-mail) or device data (such as IMEI number), developers should report it to the end user and include in their application the privacy policy.
"In addition, if an application collects and transmits personal data that is not related to the functionality of the application, then, before collecting and transmitting the data, the application should emphasize how the user's data will be used and request his permission for such use, "the statement said.
The company, in addition to trying to "protect" the end user from arbitrary third-party applications that steal data, of course tries to repair its image.
The remarkable thing is that the limits for the protection of the end users, he tries to pass only to the Android application developers and not to the company itself, which is known for collecting all kinds of data, in right and wrong ways.
As mentioned in a previous post, as a whole, the information collected by Google can create a complete profile of each user. This profile includes everything: emails, documents in Drive, browsing history, videos you watch on YouTube, WiFi passwords and more.
So Friday's announcement of a change in the company's policy on Google Play applications seems a bit hypocritical, although the company's goal is to protect its customers' data.