The Play Store’s new Data Safety section is finally here to show the apps that may be invading your privacy
Tech companies aren’t exactly known for honoring user privacy to the extent many of us would prefer, but plenty of app developers have demonstrated even lower standards for the data they collect from users. We can’t enforce stricter standards, but Apple and Google are at least demanding some level of transparency from devs. Apple took a big head start withPrivacy Labelsback in 2020, but Google is now catching up with its own Data Safety section, and it’s ready to begin rolling out to the Play Store.
Google’s new Data Safety section, shown off in anearly complete formback in October, takes a more holistic approach to privacy than Apple’s Privacy Labels, which really just requires developers to explain what data they’re collecting. The Play Store will also ask developers to divulge how data will be used, if it’s shared with third parties, how it’s stored and what security practices are in place, and if the developers have gone the extra mile with verification of standardized security practices.
Here are the information developers can show in the Data safety section:
Of course, these disclosures still rely on developers to be honest and transparent, but it’s an important step in the right direction and gives users something to hold developers accountable for.
The Data Safety section was originally slated to launch in February, but the timeline has slipped and it will instead launch today. The rollout is expected to take a few weeks, so it’s reasonably likely most of us won’t see it live in the Play Store right away.
Likewise, developers were originally expected to have their forms submitted within two months of launch, which would have been roughly this month; but the late launch means the deadline has been pushed back to July 20th. This gives developers almost exactly 12 weeks to get things in order.
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