Preserving Google Play secure for customers and builders stays a prime precedence for Google. As customers more and more prioritize their digital privateness and safety, we proceed to put money into our Knowledge Security part and transparency labeling efforts to assist customers make extra knowledgeable decisions concerning the apps they use.
Analysis exhibits that clear safety labeling performs a vital position in shopper danger notion, constructing belief, and influencing product buying selections. We consider the identical ideas apply for labeling and badging within the Google Play retailer. The transparency of an app’s knowledge safety and privateness play a key position in a person’s determination to obtain, belief, and use an app.
Highlighting Independently Safety Examined VPN Apps
Final yr, App Protection Alliance (ADA) launched MASA (Cellular App Safety Evaluation), which permits builders to have their apps independently validated in opposition to a world safety normal. This indicators to customers that an unbiased third-party has validated that the builders designed their apps to satisfy these business cell safety and privateness minimal finest practices and the builders are going the additional mile to determine and mitigate vulnerabilities. This, in flip, makes it more durable for attackers to achieve customers’ units and improves app high quality throughout the ecosystem. Upon completion of the profitable validation, Google Play offers builders the choice to declare an “Unbiased safety evaluation” badge in its Knowledge Security part, as proven within the picture beneath. Whereas certification to baseline safety requirements doesn’t indicate {that a} product is freed from vulnerabilities, the badge related to these validated apps helps customers see at-a-glance {that a} developer has prioritized safety and privateness practices and dedicated to person security.
To assist in giving customers a simplified view of which apps have undergone an unbiased safety validation, we’re introducing a brand new Google Play retailer banner for particular app varieties, beginning with VPN apps. We’ve launched this banner starting with VPN apps as a result of delicate and important quantity of person knowledge these apps deal with. When a person searches for VPN apps, they’ll now see a banner on the prime of Google Play that educates them concerning the “Unbiased safety evaluation” badge within the Knowledge Security Part. Customers even have the power to “Be taught Extra”, which redirects them to the App Validation Listing, a centralized place to view all VPN apps which were independently safety reviewed. Customers can even uncover further technical evaluation particulars within the App Validation Listing, serving to them to make extra knowledgeable selections about what VPN apps to obtain, use, and belief with their knowledge.
VPN suppliers corresponding to NordVPN, Google One, ExpressVPN, and others have already undergone unbiased safety testing and publicly declared the badge exhibiting their good standing with the MASA program. We encourage and anticipate further VPN app builders to bear unbiased safety testing, bringing much more transparency to customers. In case you are a VPN developer and involved in studying extra about this characteristic, please submit this type.
Our Dedication to App Safety and Privateness Transparency on Google Play
By encouraging unbiased safety testing and displaying safety badges for validated apps, we spotlight builders who prioritize person security and knowledge transparency. We additionally present builders with app safety and privateness finest practices – by means of Play PolicyBytes movies, webinars, weblog posts, the Developer Assist Neighborhood, and different sources – in accordance with our developer insurance policies that assist preserve Google Play secure. We’re frequently engaged on enhancements to our app evaluation course of, insurance policies, and packages to maintain customers secure and to assist builders navigate our insurance policies with ease. To study extra about how we give builders the instruments to succeed whereas retaining customers secure on Google Play, learn the Google Security Heart article.
Our efforts to prioritize safety and privateness transparency on Google Play are aligned with the wants and expectations we’ve heard from each customers and builders. We consider that by prioritizing initiatives that bolster person security and belief, we will foster a thriving app ecosystem the place customers could make extra knowledgeable app selections and builders are inspired to uphold the very best requirements of safety and privateness.
