Google Updates Chrome App Policy, Will Yank Offending Apps

Chrome Web apps must follow a new privacy policy that requires them to disclose how they track users' data, Google announced today. Going forward, developers must post a privacy policy, use encryption to handle sensitive data, and ask users to consent to the collection of personal or sensitive data.



Many of these stipulations are similar to the Chrome browser's own privacy policy. Google wrote in a blog post that making sure its developers follow similar procedures will allow consumers to be better informed about how their browsing and other personal data is shared.

Google will reach out to developers whose apps are in violation of the new policy, who will have until July 14 to comply with the rules. After that date, Google remove all non-compliant apps from the Chrome Web Store.

"Chrome provides robust APIs that empower developers to create compelling extensions and apps, and users often need to provide access to their data to allow these services to run," according to the blog post. "The new User Data Policy extends existing policies to ensure transparent use of the data in a way that is consistent with the wishes and expectations of users."

Besides ensuring that users are aware of how Chrome apps use their data, the new rules also prohibit apps from collecting Web browsing activity when it's not required for an item's main functionality.

Google regularly updates its privacy policies for many products, and has a dedicated site—privacy.google.com—that spells out exactly what data it is collecting and what it does with that data, plus its advertising policies. Users can change their privacy settings via the My Account page.

Source