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^[1]. “In addition, users
want to understand how app developers are securing user data after
an app is downloaded.”

The transparency measure, which is built along the lines of
Apple’s “Privacy Nutrition Labels^[2],” was first announced^[3]
by Google nearly a year ago, in May 2021.

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^[4] such as the Mobile
Application Security Verification Standard (MASVS).

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.

That said, Data safety is expected to face similar concerns to
that of Apple’s in that the system is built entirely on an honor system^[5], which requires app
developers to be truthful and clear-cut about what they do with the
data, and not list inaccurate labels.

Apple has since said that it would routinely audit labels for
accuracy, thereby ensuring that the labels are reliable and don’t
give users a false sense of security about the data being collected
and shared.

Google, last year, had said that it intends to institute a mechanism^[6]
in place that requires developers to furnish accurate information,
and that it will mandate them to fix misrepresentations should it
identify instances of policy violations.

While the search giant has explicitly stated that its app review
process is not designed to certify the accuracy and completeness of
the data safety declarations provided by third-party app
developers, it’s outlining strong measures to handle such
transgressions.

The company is warning that it will be taking suitable
enforcement measures when it identifies a deviation from the
information provided in the section. Failing to ensure compliance
can result in blocked updates or removal from Google Play.

“When Google becomes aware of a discrepancy between your app
behavior and your declaration, we may take appropriate action,
including enforcement action,” the company said^[7]
in an updated support article.