Highlights:
- Google said it would reinstate the Play Store app’s permissions section to uphold users’ privacy.
- If Google detects false information in the Data Safety section of an app, it will take action.
Google declared that it is taking back its decision to remove a section from the Play Store that listed which permissions an app uses. The business had more or less replaced that info with its Data Safety section, which is designed to give an overview of what data applications are collecting and how that data is utilized.
The real issue, which several users brought up, was that the information in the Data Safety section originated from developers, whilst the information in the app Permissions section was created by Google. Because Google removed it, users could not undertake a fast fact check by comparing the two sections or utilize both information to obtain a complete picture of what an app is doing and what it has access to.
In a Twitter thread that Android Police noticed, Google said that the app permissions section will be coming back soon and that the company decided to bring it back as a direct result of user input. However, it was not reflected on the install page on Google’s app store. But the new change will let you see both Data Safety labels and app permissions directly from the Play Store.
In April this year, Google started implementing the Data Safety section; it is quite similar to Apple’s privacy labels. Developers are required to explain to Google how they use users’ data and include additional information, such as whether or not users may request that their data be destroyed and whether or not the data is encrypted. Google claims that only developers have access to that information. However, it also claims that it will take action against an app if it discovers inaccurate information in the Data Safety section of the app.
