Google has banned 173,000 developer accounts in 2022 to combat malware operations and fraud rings that threaten the safety of Android users’ devices. The company has also prevented 1.5 million apps that violated policies from being included in the Google Play Store.
Furthermore, the Google Play Commerce security team stopped fraudulent and abusive transactions that could have resulted in losses of over $2 billion.
Google has implemented more requirements for developers who want to be part of the Play Store ecosystem, including phone and email identity verification. These requirements have resulted in a decrease in the number of accounts used to distribute apps that violate Google Play policies.
Google has also collaborated with software development kit providers to restrict access to sensitive data and prevent its sharing, resulting in over 1 million apps on the Android store having a better “privacy posture.”
Google’s efforts to enhance Android platform protections and policies have prevented roughly 500,000 apps from requesting and accessing sensitive permissions in the past three years.
In 2021, the company blocked 1.2 million policy-violating apps, banned 190,000 accounts associated with malicious and spammy developers, and closed about 500,000 inactive or abandoned developer accounts.
Google aims to work with the developer community to ensure they have the tools, knowledge, and support to build secure and trustworthy apps that respect user data security and privacy.
Google Play now includes a data safety section that outlines how apps collect, share, and secure user data, and in February 2023, Google announced that Android 14 would target older API levels to prevent malware from abusing sensitive permissions.
As the Android ecosystem grows, Google is committed to working closely with SDK providers to improve app and SDK safety, limit how user data is shared, and enhance communication with app developers.
