Google Removes “App Permissions” List from Play Store for New “Data Safety” Section

Following the launch of a new “Data safety” section for the
Android app on the Play Store, Google appears to be readying to
remove the app permissions list from both the mobile app and the
web.

The change was highlighted^[1]
by Esper’s Mishaal Rahman earlier this week.

The Data safety^[2]
section, which Google began rolling out in late April 2022, is the
company’s answer to Apple’s Privacy Nutrition Labels in iOS,
allowing users to have a unified view of an app’s data collection
and processing practices.

To that end, third-party app developers are required to furnish
the required details by July 20, 2022. With this deadline now
approaching next week, the tech giant has moved to entirely remove
the permissions section.

The decision also appears to be a hasty one, as a number of
popular apps such as Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp,
Amazon (including Amazon Prime Video), DuckDuckGo, Discord, and
PhonePe are yet to populate their Data safety sections.

It’s not immediately clear what led Google to go ahead with the
change, especially given that the Data safety section runs on an
honor system that requires the developers to make complete and
accurate declarations in their app’s store listing.

The app permissions list, in contrast, was curated by Google
based on a scan of the app during the vetting process, giving users
a handy means to check all the permissions^[3]
required by each app prior to installation.

It’s being suspected that the readability improvements offered
by the Data safety section have played a role in the change,
although how trustworthy the new system remains to be seen.