Google has removed three popular apps used by kids from its Play Store periodically when the apps are caught violating its policies.The International Digital Accountability Council (IDCA) had found that the three apps, identified as Princess Salon, Number Coloring, and Cats & Cosplay, were collecting data of users, who happen to be children in most instances, in violation of the Play Store policies, and that this data was potentially leaking to SDKs of third parties."The practices we observed in our research raised serious concerns about data practices within these apps," IDAC president Quentin Palfrey told TechCrunch.The website also got a response from Google, which told it, “We can confirm that the apps referenced in the report were removed. Whenever we find an app that violates our policies, we take action.”It is not clear what sort of data the three innocent-looking apps were collecting. But these were the apps used by kids as they claimed to gamify learning. A number of such apps continue to be available on the app stores managed by Google and Apple.When it comes to the data of children, companies like Apple and Google have more stringent requirements from app developers. The data of children has to be handled more carefully and in many cases, it cannot be passed on to third parties. In fact, so sensitive are the rules...
Google launches strong encryption for Android messages
Google said Thursday it will be rolling out end-to-end encryption for Android users, making it harder for anyone, including law enforcement, to read the content of messages.“End-to-end encryption ensures that no one, including Google and third parties, can read the content of your messages as they travel between your phone and the phone of the person you’re messaging,” said Drew Rowny, head of Google product, in announcing the rollout.Google’s move is part of an upgrade from SMS to the Rich Communication Services (RCS) standard with additional features for images and videos.It will be available for people communicating using Android-powered devices.The move brings additional privacy and security to Google’s messaging application, however, law enforcement agencies around the world complained that “strong encryption may enable criminals to hide their tracks”.Digital rights activists have long supported strong encryption to allow users to avoid snooping by governments and cybercriminals. But some governments have warned the technology could hinder criminal investigations.End-to-end encryption is already available on some services such as Facebook-owned WhatsApp, but the company has been facing resistance over its plan to bring full encryption to its Messenger app.Last year, US Attorney General William Barr joined with British and Australian...
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