Google has reversed its decision to remove from the Play Store a section that stated the permissions each app used. The business had mostly replaced that information with its Data Safety section, which is intended to provide information about what data apps gather and how that data is used.
As several commentators pointed out, the problem is that the information in the Data Safety area was provided by developers, whereas the app permissions portion was generated by Google. By eliminating it, Google made it impossible for users to perform a quick fact-check by comparing the two parts, or to use the information from both to gain a more full picture of what an app is doing and what it has access to.
Google said in a Thursday Twitter thread found by Android Police that the app permissions section will return shortly and that the decision was taken based on user feedback. I couldn’t see it on my device at the time of writing, but when the section returns, it should be present alongside the Data Safety section.
Google’s Data Safety section, announced in May 2021 and launched in April of this year, is comparable to Apple’s privacy labeling. Developers must inform Google about what they do with users’ data (such as whether it is shared with third parties and what type of data the app gathers) and give additional information, such as whether users can request that their data be erased and whether the data is encrypted. While Google claims that only developers have access to these details, it does state that if it discovers mistakes in the Data Safety information, it will take action against the app.
