Google Adds Data Collection Alerts: Google has announced the addition of privacy labels to the Play Store, giving users more information about the types of data collected by Android apps.
More than a year after, Apple introduced similar App Store labels that show users how much data apps collect, Google Adds Data Collection Alerts too.
The feature that Google Adds Data Collection Alerts is now available on Google Play, and developers are expected to finish updating the information in their apps by July 20 at the latest.
What are privacy labels?
Google Adds Data Collection Alerts and has announced that privacy labels will be available on the Google Play Store, giving customers more information about the types of data collected by Android apps.
The protests come nearly a year after Apple introduced related App Store labels that show customers how much data apps collect.
The new labels will specify what data is being collected, whether it is being shared with third parties, the app’s security practices, whether the app has committed to Google Play’s Families Policy, and whether the developer has validated its security practices against a global standard.
As the EU’s GDPR regulations are expanded, it makes a lot of sense to prevent apps from needlessly hoarding data, often for-profit – especially if companies are working proactively to do so.
When Apple changed the App Store, Google took a long time to update its app collection. However, the search engine behemoth’s position has shifted in the last year.
Adding labels to the Play Store is a win for consumers and privacy advocates because developers must now report what data is collected and why.
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What kinds of data are we talking about?
If you have any apps on your phone, whether games, news, or fitness apps, you are most likely sending data about your identity, preferences, or physical location to Google, Facebook, and other companies without even realizing it. This should come as no surprise, but new research has revealed the scope of the issue.
Last May, Google announced the function, dubbed the Google Play Information security section, giving developers plenty of time to make the necessary changes.
The new labels will specifically show: what data is being collected; whether or not that data is being shared with third parties; the app’s security practices; whether or not the app has been dedicated to Google Play’s Households Coverage; and whether or not the developer has validated their security practices against a global standard.
The researchers make no claims about what data is transferred to companies, but they warn that it is common for them to gain access to data unrelated to the app being used. Depending on the app’s permissions, this could be as broad as a contact list or location history.
How will these help users?
Both Google and Apple have stated that the goal is to provide users with greater transparency into how and why apps collect data, allowing them to make more informed decisions about the types of services they want to use.
The feature that Google Adds Data Collection Alerts is now available on Google Play, and developers are expected to finish updating the information in their apps by July 20 at the latest.
Negative consequences of apps tracking users
Researchers see potential privacy risks that put people at risk due to a lack of transparency about who is tracking what and why. Data from multiple apps can be combined with other online history and behavior to create extremely detailed profiles of individuals.
You could guess a person’s interests, sexual orientation, health status, and children’s identities based on the apps on their phone.
In October, Google disputed the study’s negative implications, telling the Financial Times that the researchers mischaracterized “ordinary functions” such as an app sending a crash report.