Security News > 2021 > May > Google Play to require privacy labels on apps in 2022, almost two years after Apple

Google has decided the time has come to require app developers to disclose the data their wares collect, and their security practices, in their Play Store listings.

The data-harvesting ad giant on Thursday detailed plans to create a "Safety section in Google Play" that it says "Will help people understand the data an app collects or shares, if that data is secured, and additional details that impact privacy and security."

"If we find that a developer has misrepresented the data they've provided and is in violation of the policy, we will require the developer to fix it. Apps that don't become compliant will be subject to policy enforcement."

Google hasn't said how it will enforce that policy, how it will assess the accuracy of disclosures, whether it will do so for the millions of apps it hosts, how often it will review app's disclosures, or the timeframe required for corrections.

The Register wonders if Google has actually met some of those developers, a question we pose considering recent research that found fertility apps may be privacy-invading nightmares, and many similar incidents in the history of the Play Store.

On an as-yet-unrevealed date in Q2 2022, all apps will be required to have their info recorded.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/05/07/google_play_security_privacy_disclosure_requirement/