Android App Store Privacy Section Starts Rolling Out Today

Following in the footsteps of iOS 14, Google is launching an app privacy section of the Play Store on Tuesday. When you search for an app on the Play Store, along with sections like “About this App”and “Ratings and Reviews”, there will be a new “Data Privacy & Security”section where developers can explain what data they collect. Google showed off this feature last year, and today it will finally start showing up in the Play Store.

Please note that although this section will be available to users from today, it may not be completed by developers. The deadline for Google Developers to provide privacy information is July 20th. Even then, all this privacy information is provided by the developer and is essentially working on the honor system. Here is how Google describes the process for developers:

You are solely responsible for providing complete and accurate statements in your app’s store listing on Google Play. Google Play checks apps for compliance with all policy requirements; however, we cannot make decisions on behalf of developers about how they handle user data. Only you have all the information you need to complete the data security form. When Google becomes aware of a discrepancy between your app’s behavior and your declaration, we may take appropriate action, including enforcement.

Once the section is up and running, developers will need to list what data they collect, why they collect it, and who they share it with. The support page provides a large list of data types for items such as “location”, “personal information”, “financial information”, “web history”, “contacts”and various file types. Developers are expected to list their data security practices, including explaining whether data is encrypted in transit and whether users can request that data be deleted. There is also room for compliance with the “Google Play Policy for Families “, which is basically a set of US COPPA and EU GDPR requirements.

Mobile app security score this Github.

As usual, Google’s release process can take some time. Google says a lucky few will see the data security section today, and it will likely take a few weeks to roll it out to everyone.

Image in Google listing