Back in May last year, Google introduced a new data security section for apps published on the Play Store. The feature started appearing in app listings in April this year, and will soon be mandatory for all apps (July 20). Now, the data security info section has started appearing on the store’s actual live app listing, and the new info window appears to be taking the place of an overview of app permissions that all apps on the Play Store used to have.
If this sounds a little confusing, here’s why you should care. Traditionally, every app listed on the Play Store has an overview of the Android system permissions it requests from the system, such as accessing the network, all the way down to potentially more privacy-related content, such as accessing contacts, Phone file system, or location data. This list is automatically generated by Google by scanning developers’ app files when they are submitted to the store, so nothing can be missed or disclosed to users, intentionally or otherwise.
On the other hand, the new data security section is entirely up to the developer to fill in. Google has an interface in its Play Store’s developer console that lists a full set of personal and device data types through which developers must disclose whether and how they are handled by their apps.
For example, the questionnaire may ask whether to access the location and personal data of the user’s device and if so, how to process the above data and whether to share it with third parties. This is entirely decided on a “conscious” basis, and in terms of ensuring implementation, Google simply outlines in its guidelines that providing false data may result in some form of penalty.
While we all support the new data security info, it doesn’t seem like a good idea why it’s on the Play Store’s listing instead of the app permissions overview. Of course, Google still has time to adjust this behavior, perhaps keeping both pieces of data together.
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