Security News > 2022 > April > Google's New Safety Section Shows What Data Android Apps Collect About Users

Google on Tuesday officially began rolling out a new "Data safety" section for Android apps on the Play Store to highlight the type of data being collected and shared with third-parties.

"Users want to know for what purpose their data is being collected and whether the developer is sharing user data with third parties," Suzanne Frey, Vice President of product for Android security and privacy, said.

Users want to understand how app developers are securing user data after an app is downloaded."

The Data safety section, which will show up against every app listing on the digital storefront, presents a unified view of what data is being collected, for what purpose it's being used, and how it's handled, while also highlighting what data is being shared with third-parties.

On top of that, the labels can also show an "App's security practices, like encryption of data in transit and whether users can ask for data to be deleted," Frey noted, in addition to validating those practices against security standards such as the Mobile Application Security Verification Standard.

The feature is expected to be gradually made available to all users, while giving app developers a deadline of July 20, 2022 to complete the section and keep them updated should they change the apps' functionality or data handling methods.

News URL

https://thehackernews.com/2022/04/googles-new-safety-section-shows-what.html