Google Play Data safety, what’s it all about?
The Google Play Data safety section is a simple method for you (the app owner) to assist people (your users) in understanding what user data your app gathers or distributes and highlight your app’s essential privacy and security standards.
This information will enable users to make better-educated decisions about which programs to install.
What’s changing?
By July 20, 2022, all developers must declare how they acquire and manage user data for apps they publish on Google Play and offer information on how they safeguard this data using security techniques such as encryption. This includes information gathered and processed by any third-party libraries or SDKs used in their apps.
From this point forward, app owners will have to start entering this information into Play Console using a form in the new Data safety section on the App content page.
This can be found on your developers’ account → Policy > App content
After completing and submitting the Data safety form, Google will examine the information given as part of the app review process.
A report of such will then be displayed on app owner’s store listing. This is to assist Google Play users in understanding how the app gathers and shares data before users download the app.
I own app; does this apply to me?
All who have an app published on Google Play, including those on internal, closed, open, or production testing tracks, must complete the Data safety form.
Even those whose applications do not gather any user data are obliged to fill out the form and include a link to their privacy policy.
In this situation, the completed form and privacy policy can show that no user data is collected or shared.
What users will see if an app share data:
(Please note: this is an example and is subject to change)
What users will see if an app doesn’t collect or share data with organizations or companies:
(Please note: this is an example and is subject to change)
What users will see if an app doesn’t share any data with organizations or companies:
(Please note: this is an example and is subject to change)
How does google recommend I prepare for these changes?
Read and understand the requirements for completing the Data safety form in Play Console and complying with our User Data policy.
In other words, you’ll need to:
- Make sure you’ve included a privacy policy;
- Examine how your app collects and distributes user data, as well as its security standards;
- Examine your app’s specified permissions as well as the APIs it employs;
- Examine how any third-party code (such as third-party libraries or SDKs) in your app collects and shares data.
