Google Plans to Add Privacy Labels to Play Store Apps Next Year
Apple with iOS 14 introduced App Privacy labels for App Store apps, which are designed to let customers know details about the data that an app will collect about them before they make the decision to install an app.
Google is planning to follow in Apple's footsteps with the Play Store, introducing a new feature that will require developers to provide transparency into how apps are using data.
On the Android Developers Blog, Google announced a new "safety section" for the Play Store that will "help people understand the data an app collects of shares, if that data is secured, and the additional details that impact privacy and security."
Developers will be asked to share what type of data is collected and stored and how the data is used. Play Store listings will also outline whether apps employ security practices like data encryption, if Google's Families policy is followed, if the data sharing details have been verified by an independent third party, and if an app allows users to request data deletion.
As with Apple's App Privacy labels, Google Play developers must self-report information, and Google will introduce a policy that requires developers to provide accurate details. If a developer violates this policy, Google will "require the developer to fix it" and there could be "policy enforcement" consequences.
Google plans to share additional policy requirements and resources this summer, and all Play Store apps will be required to provide this information starting in the second quarter of 2022.
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