As Apple advances toward consumer privacy with initiatives like App tracking transparency and App Store privacy labels, Google recently announced its own plans to introduce a new “Security Section” on Google Play that provides more information about the data apps collect and share, as well as other security and privacy details. Today the company announces for the first time what the user interface of the new section will look like and what other requirements will be placed on developers.
In May, Google explained The security area is designed to easily convey to users how apps handle their data so that they can make informed decisions. App developers would need to tell users whether their app uses security practices such as data encryption, whether it complies with Google Play’s family policy for apps for children, whether users have a choice when it comes to sharing data, whether the app’s security area has been verified by a third party, and if the app has allowed users, among other things, to request data deletion at the time of uninstallation.
In the user interface concept introduced by Google today, developers can now see what this feature will look like for the end user.
Credit: Google
In the security area, users can see the developer’s explanation of what data the app is collecting, followed by those other details, each with its own icon as a visual indicator.
When users tap the summary, they can see more details, such as: B. what data is collected or shared – such as location, contacts, personal information (e.g. name, email address), financial information and more.
You can also see how the data is used – for app functionality, personalization, etc. – and whether data collection is optional.
Credit: Google
Google says it wants to give developers plenty of time to prepare for these changes in the Play Store, which is why it is now sharing more information on the data type definitions, user journey, and policy requirements of the new feature.
It advises that all developers must have a privacy policy in place by April 2022. Previously, only apps that collected personal and sensitive user data were required to do this. Developers must also provide accurate and complete information about all data in their security area, including how it will be used by the app’s third-party libraries and SDKs. This corresponds to Apple’s requirements for its apps.
Credit: Google
In October 2021, developers can submit their information to the Google Play Console for review before the planned launch of the security area in Google Play in the first quarter of 2022.
The company also notes that after the section starts, it provides some slack before the security section of apps needs to be approved by Google. However, the company says apps must be approved by the second quarter of 2022 or risk having their app submissions or app updates rejected. And if an app doesn’t have an approved security section, the app says “No information available”.
The change will help highlight how many active developers there are on Google Play as these will be the ones who will adopt the new policy and show how their apps collect and use data.
The question that remains is how strictly Google enforces its new guidelines and how carefully apps are checked. An interesting note here is that conscientious developers can submit their security section for third party review and then advertise it to users who care about the privacy and security of apps.
This could help dispel some potential criticisms that these safety sections are incorrect. That’s actually been an issue for Apple since the launch of its App Store privacy labels. The Washington Post discovered that a number of apps displayed incorrect information, making them less helpful to the users whose data they were trying to protect.
However, when asked to comment, Google declined to provide any further details on how the third-party verification process works.