Take a look at the digital shelves of the ay Store you’re likely to come across a bevy of so-called zombie apps. These apps typically take the form of a knock-off of a popular game or a sloppy utility that doesn’t quite match its description, they strategically turn up alongside legitimate apps, which makes them hard to spot if you’re not doing a forensic analysis of reviews while you shop.
Now it looks like something is finally being done about them. In a letter uncovered by The Next b, has begun warning some developers that one or more of their apps has been flagged for a lack of an adequate privacy policy, a common problem among these sort of hastily published subsequently ignored apps.
The Next b has begun warning developers to update their apps or face removal from the ay Store.
In the message, reiterates its policy, which “requires developers to provide a valid privacy policy when the app requests or hles sensitive user information.” Such permissions include camera, microphone, account, contacts, or phone access, which requires a transparent disclosure of how user data is hled, according to ’s requirements. It’s unclear how many letters were sent out, but The Next b estimates it could affect millions of apps.
This is hardly a new policy for , but this push could be the start of a tougher new application of it. As spells out in its developer guidelines: “If your app collects transmits personal or sensitive user data unrelated to functionality described prominently in the app’s listing on ay or in the app interface, then prior to the collection transmission, it must prominently highlight how the user data will be used have the user provide affirmative consent for such use.”
ile the lack of a proper privacy policy is most certainly an honest mistake for some developers, it’s just as likely that many will ignore this message face whatever consequences has in store for them.
The email urges developers to update their ay Store listings with a valid privacy policy or remove the offending permissions request from the app. It gives a deadline of h 15 to comply with the request or “administrative action will be taken to limit the visibility of your app, up to including removal from the ay Store.”
isn’t playing around: Developers users have long complained about the ay Store’s somewhat lax rules toward letting these types of apps in, this could be a sign that is finally working to clean things up. The ay Store is littered with apps of questionable repute, many of them have flown under ’s radar for too long. This move could negatively impact millions of apps, as well as benefit honest developers, but the effect on users will be even greater, enabling them to seek find legitimate apps rather than cheap imitations. And by tackling the problem from a privacy stpoint, is not only cleaning up the ay Store, it’s also recommitting to the security protection of its users.
