Android app developers have until the second quarter of 2022 to declare what data they collect and share.
Google said it will create a new security section in its Play mobile app store that will allow Android smartphone users to see what data developers are collecting and sharing, as well as giving access to additional privacy and security information.
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Android app developers have until the second quarter of 2022 to report this information, the Alphabet Inc. unit said in a blog post on Thursday. Users will start to see the security section on Google Play sometime in the first three months of 2022.
The drive for transparency echoes rival Apple Inc.’s decision in 2020 to force app makers to disclose what information they collect and what they do with it. Apple’s latest mobile software update, iOS 14.5, includes an app tracking transparency feature, which requires users to choose to be tracked by apps for personalized advertising. Developers expect to lose revenue from this change because most consumers will not accept their data being collected.
Google, which in turn relies on ad revenue, has taken a more measured approach. The internet search giant is discussing how it can limit data collection and cross-app tracking on the Android operating system in a less stringent way than Apple’s solution, Bloomberg reported.
The security section of Google Play will also tell users if an application encrypts data, if it follows Google’s policies for families and children, if users have the option to share information, and if users can request data deletion if uninstall an app.
