Google takes enforcement action against 3,500 loan apps on Play Store in India for violating norms

Google took action against over 3,500 loan apps in India in 2022 for violating Play Store policy requirements, the company said on Thursday.

Google said that overall it prevented 1.43 million policy-violating apps from being published on Google Play banning 173,000 bad accounts preventing over USD 2 billion in fraudulent and abusive transactions in 2022.

"In India, in 2022, we have reviewed and taken necessary enforcement action, including removal of apps, on more than 3,500 personal loan apps for violations of the Play policy requirements. We continue to uplevel our efforts in this area by regularly updating our policies and review processes," Google said.

The company announced that it will adopt a more privacy-friendly approach to advertising in 2023.

Privacy Sandbox on Android

Google will roll out the first Beta for the Privacy Sandbox on Android to a small percentage of Android devices.

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"With the Beta, users and developers will be able to experience and evaluate these new solutions in the real world...We'll continue to work in collaboration with developers, publishers, regulators and more as we navigate the transition to a more private mobile ecosystem," Google said in a blog.

Under the privacy sandbox, Google aims to create technologies that protect people's privacy online and give companies and developers tools to build digital businesses.

The Privacy Sandbox reduces cross-site and cross-app tracking while helping to keep online content and services free for all.

Google bans CryptBot

Google in an effort to protect users from cyberattacks has also blocked the notorious CryptBot malware, which the company claims have stolen data from hundreds of thousands of Chrome browser users in the past year, which is then beign sold to bad actors to use in data breach campaigns. This was after tech giant filled a legal complaint against several of CryptBot's major distributors. The company on Wednesday confirmed that it had obtained a temporary court order limiting the developers' ability to spread the infostealer malware.

With inputs from Agencies