18.09.2020
10:08
The measure, which will take effect from October 1, is aimed at platforms that obtain data from users’ devices without prior notice or consent and do not show any type of notification in this regard.
September 18, 2020 Share on FacebookShare Share on TwitterTweet Share on WhatsAppShare
Apps that track user data without their consent will be banned (Pixabay)
Google has updated the rules of its application platform Google Play Store to prohibit applications known as stalkerware , which allow data to be obtained from users’ devices without prior notice or consent and do not show any type of notification in this regard.
Stalkerware and other tracking software used without consent violate the privacy of users. They can also be a risk in many other ways, especially in the case of those who use it to harass their partners.
This new rule in the Play Store will take effect from October 1 and will remove the possibility that stalkerware applications are installed and work without being detected when they are installed on the devices of the victims.
The company underlined in the update of its policy of program for developers that “only applications that comply with policies designed and marketed exclusively for parental supervision or business management can be distributed on the Play Store.”
Likewise, such applications must “fully” meet a series of requirements, among them, they must not be presented as a “spying or secret surveillance” solution, nor must they hide the tracking behavior or try to deceive users about their functionality.
In this sense, fathers and mothers can use applications to track their children. However, these apps cannot be used in other cases, such as to track a person (a spouse, for example) without their knowledge or permission unless a persistent notification is displayed while the data is being transmitted.
In order to be in the Play Store, applications must also have a unique icon that identifies the application and must notify users permanently. These apps must also not offer any means by which you can activate or access features that violate the rules, such as links to an unsupported APK that is outside the Play Store.
The regulations will enter into force from October 1 (REUTERS / Abdullah Rashid / File Photo)
Google also reported that as of October 21, the Play Store will not allow applications or developer accounts that pose as “any person or organization, or that misrepresent or hide their property or main purpose.”
Since October 21, applications that carry out coordinated activities to deceive users will not be allowed, such as apps that hide their country of origin and that direct their content to users from other countries, as well as those that coordinate with other applications to hide or lie about the identity of the application, when it relates to political, social or public interest issues.
Furthermore, as of October 21, Google will only allow online gambling applications in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France and Brazil, although in the case of the latter country, the applications must be approved by the financial institution Caixa Economica Federal.
Gambling applications in these countries must also meet a number of requirements, such as preventing underage users from gambling, that they can be downloaded and installed for free from the Play Store and that they clearly display information about responsible gambling, among other things.
(With information from Portaltic)
