Anthony Chavez, vice president of product management for Android security and privacy, announced that a “privacy sandbox” will be built on the Android system to introduce newer, more private advertising solutions. These solutions limit the sharing of user information with third parties and can operate without cross-app identification, including advertising IDs. The goal of building a privacy sandbox on Android is to develop effective and privacy-enhancing advertising solutions.
Anthony said that starting today, developers can view initial designs and share feedback on the Android Developers site. During the year, Google plans to release a developer preview alongside the beta, and will regularly update the design and schedule. In June 2021, Google launched a web-side privacy sandbox in the Chrome browser. The goal of the sandbox is to protect personal information while providing effective tools for advertisers to promote to target groups.
Gizchina News of the week
Apple and Google Play Store to face a multi-billion-euro class-action lawsuit
According to reports, a foundation led by Dutch entrepreneur, Alexander Klöping is preparing to file a class-action lawsuit against Google and Apple and is currently convening plaintiffs. Klöping claims Apple and Google are abusing their dominance by charging app developers up to 30 percent of every transaction in their app stores. This is unfair, and app developers are forced to pass this cost on to users.
The App Store Claims Foundation, headed by Klöping, says on its website…”Apple and Google exclude competition from app stores and digital payment systems. They also charge for digital purchases made through their app stores. Furthermore, excessive commissions of up to 30% are against competition law.”
Since the launch of the Apple and Google App Stores, Dutch consumers have paid about 1 billion euros to the two companies, the foundation said. To this end, the foundation is preparing to claim this part of the cost from Apple and Google. “To this end, we will take collective action against Apple and Google. We will recover losses for all users of both app stores,” the foundation said.
Presently, there is no response from Apple regarding this lawsuit. As for Google, although it did not comment directly, the company claims Google Play fees are lower.
Google and Apple app stores have come under increasing scrutiny around the world in recent years. In late April, the European Commission accused Apple of setting restrictive rules for its App Store. This forces developers to use Apple’s own in-app payment system. It also prevents developers from informing users of other purchasing options.
