Google is Cracking Down on Apps That Log Calls and SMS Data

Google is cracking down on apps that steal your SMS data and call logs, by putting more restriction on the content that gets uploaded to Play Store.

The company is removing these apps from its Android app store. It told in a blog post on Monday that it is improving the privacy requirement in response to recent scandals including the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Developers were already given a deadline of 90 days to revise their permission requests in these apps, as the search engine giant would soon start a crackdown to remove apps that didn’t follow the new guidelines. The past year increased privacy concerns for internet users that were harmed due to ineffective data handling by large scale social media companies, as well as other smartphone applications.

Numerous apps and websites have been caught stealing data, especially Facebook which has been under the radar of government authorities as well as other data companies that bashed the social media giant for letting the data of millions of users get leaked.

Later on, we found out that apps and companies were also leeching SMS data and call logs from smartphones, sometimes without user consent.

In order to opt-in to collect such data from Android smartphones, developers are required to submit a form which gets reviewed by Google. According to reports, the company is keeping a strict check on developers that file for permission and are denying most of the requests.


  • But Google itself logs calls and SMS data of its users through Android. Is Google going to ban itself now?


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