Earlier this year, Google Play Store has launched a new data privacy section It relies on developers to reveal the information their apps collect. But as pointed out esper Editor-in-chief Mishaal Rahman (Across Ars Technica), this could mean that Google will no longer display a list of verified permissions that it automatically collects from each app, giving developers complete control over what they choose (or don’t choose) to disclose to users.
When Google first announced its new data privacy section last year, the company made it clear that its system would be based on information provided by developers. on me support pageGoogle states that developers have until July 20 to fill out a data privacy form for their apps, noting that developers “only” must provide “complete and accurate data” for their apps.
“Google Play reviews apps across all policy requirements; however, we cannot make decisions on behalf of developers about how they handle user data,” Google explains. “You are the only one who has all the information required to complete the data security form.” Google says it will take “appropriate action” if it finds any discrepancies between information reported by developers and the app itself.
It should be noted that the Apple App Store has a similar policy in place for Privacy “Nutrition” labelsalso requires developers Submit “self-reported summaries” About the privacy practices of their apps. Just like what Google is doing now, Apple puts its trust in developers to provide honest information about the data their apps collect, of which a report comes out. Washington Mail which are often found to be “misleading or completely inaccurate”.
While Google doesn’t indicate any plans to replace auto-generated app permissions with the data privacy section, it appears that Google has quietly replaced that. In a Twitter thread, Rahman shows screenshots comparing one app menu to the old “Permissions” section, and another with just “Data Security.” I noticed the same after comparing an archived copy of Google Play Store to TikTok List from 2021 with one This is now available.
With the launch of the data security section on Google Play, which will be mandatory for all apps within one week, it appears that the app permissions list will disappear in both the mobile and web app.
– Mishaal Rahman July 13, 2022
As Rahman points out, Google stores the app’s permissions in the Play Store, but they are not visible from the front end. It suggests downloading the open source Play Store alternative, called Aurora, which still shows permissions before downloading the app.
However, it would make more sense for Google to show the permissions for both the app And the Data Privacy Section. This way, users can compare both to ensure that the permissions reported by the developer are consistent with the Google results. the edge I reached out to Google to see if the company plans to bring back the app’s permissions section, but they didn’t immediately hear back.