Security News > 2021 > May > 4 Major Privacy and Security Updates From Google You Should Know About

Google has announced a number of user-facing and under-the-hood changes in an attempt to boost privacy and security, including rolling out two-factor authentication automatically to all eligible users and bringing iOS-styled privacy labels to Android app listings.

The search giant said it plans to include a new safety section for app listings that highlights the type of data being collected and stored - such as approximate or precise location, contacts, personal information, photos and videos, and audio files - and how the data is used, whether be it for providing app functionality, personalization, or advertising.

The transparency measures into how apps use data echo a similar push by Apple, which rolled out privacy labels in the App Store in December 2020 with an aim to condense an app's data collection practices in an easy-to-understand and user-friendly format.

Interestingly, the enforcement goes beyond the privacy-oriented nutrition information attached to each app entry, for the changes will also require app developers, including Google, to provide information about whether their apps adhere to security practices, like data encryption, comply with Google's policies around apps and games aimed at children, and explain why a specific piece of data is being collected, or if users have a choice in opting out of data sharing.

Another key difference is that the section will also highlight whether an independent third-party has verified the app's privacy labels, and whether users can request that their data be deleted should they decide to uninstall the app.

The third-party verification appears to be a move to counter criticism like that faced by Apple for failing to vet apps that provided "Misleading or flat-out inaccurate" labels.

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