Submit Articles

How Google Gives Users the Power to Protect Their Data through Privacy Dashboard

It is no coincidence that data safety is at the core of every software update these days. Both web and mobile technologies regard user data as the single most precious thing on the internet. Apart from the usually rising possibilities of hack attempts, there are some user controls that are required to ensure that your data is not just safe from the outside attacks but is also secured from any attempt of tracking from within your device. 

Apps did not need any kind of user input to be stored anywhere in the whole funnel just a few years back. Better technology led to more usage and that subsequently led to more traffic on the internet. Just as every traffic junction is bombarded with hoardings on roads, traffic on the internet also gets served with a wrath of advertisements.

Why Do Apps Track User Data?

The revolution of artificial intelligence and machine learning has made data analytics very easy. What took hours to analyze can now be done merely with a few clicks. Programs with a few set criteria are deployed with the help of AI and ML. Next thing we know, we have the complicated and encrypted analytics stored synchronously and displayed with the very criteria we set.

Because of this analytical data, apps are able to understand user behavior. This was revolutionary for advertisers. Ads prior to this were served generally with no target audience. The usual mediums of advertising prior to mobile communication were served for everyone accessing that medium. Now advertisers could dissect the user base into age groups, geographical locations, preferences and choices. 

The analytical data apps have based on the user’s behavior on the app is priceless. Apps sometimes sell this data to third party advertisers who place ads according to the user’s preferences and choices. This makes the whole process of tracking lucrative for apps. 

Android’s Response to App Tracking and Privacy

It took everyone a lot of time to realize that no matter how tight the security is, it is ultimately down to the users to decide what data they want to share. The power and authority has to be with the users along with all the software updates about security. 

With Android 12, Google launched a privacy dashboard that allowed the users to take full control of the data they are sharing and to manage accesses and permissions in an elaborated way. Here are the key points of this feature from Android.

Dashboard

Permissions in the previous versions could only be seen either while the app was first granted them or directly into the app settings. To know about permissions in general, users had to go and check each and every app and its settings. With the later versions, especially with Android 12, users can now access the permissions settings in the privacy dashboard. This dashboard is the control unit of the device permissions for the apps. It shows the data in a 24 hours timeline format for better understanding for the users. 

Data Access Audit APIs

In recent versions, Android has availed Data Access Audit APIs for automatic and periodic auditing of data accesses and permissions used by apps on your device. Android recommends all developers offering Android application services to understand the data access needs and review their codes. The audit API that would re-assess data access needs of the app code was launched with Android 11. 

Indicators

Microphones and cameras are the most vulnerable points of threat against attempts of compromises. In an age of technology when you are continuously sharing data and communicating through remote meetings, it was essential that Android introduced indicators right on the notification bar about the ongoing usage and access of both camera and microphone.  

Approximate Location

Sharing location is a common practice among social media users. Sharing exact locations has led to the algorithm identifying nearby places and ad servers placing irrelevant ads based on your locations and geotags. Along with the popular feature of selecting “Only This Time” for the access of location services for apps, Android users can now choose whether they want to share an exact location or an approximate location that may get difficult for trackers to process. 

Hibernation

Android introduced a permissions reset feature last year. There are advancements in that future with Android 12. If an app is not using the resources you have granted it to access for a long period of time, then the system will revoke those permissions by default. This feature not only prevents unused apps from tracking users’ data but also intelligently hibernates them that optimize device performance, storage and safety.

Verdict

Android claims its 12th version to be the most ambitious one in terms of privacy. The key to security enhancements is constant dialogue with the developers’ community. There surely is a large group of people among the developers who are unhappy with the strict nature of permissions and accesses. The counter argument is that this kills the revenues of the app development industry. But Android seems to be in no mood at all to please developers and is surely looking to hit a home run for the upcoming user centric era.



Tags:

Article USA
Logo
Shopping cart