- Google Android Lockbox is supposedly a tool that Google uses to essentially “spy” on the activity of non-Google applications on Android phones.
- The goal of data collection is for Google to improve its products and potentially help you create competitive products that may be popular with consumers.
- Google confirmed the existence of the tool, said that the data is collected from users who accept it and that the information is anonymous. But Google did not say whether that data has been used to create products that can rival existing third-party applications.
Facebook paid $ 19 billion on WhatsApp in 2014, which seemed like an incredibly high price for a mobile chat app. WhatsApp already had a large user base, which has only grown since then, so the bet was profitable for Facebook, more or less, because it is not clear when Facebook will get its money back. But a few years later, we learned that Facebook was using a different app, a VPN service called Onavo, to spy on its rivals. This is how he ended up buying a product that competed directly against Facebook Messenger.
Fast forward to 2020, and Google will now have to explain a similar strategy. The company is using an internal tool that can measure the activity of its application, according to a new report. The goal is to allow Google to improve its products or create others. Instead of searching for the next WhatsApp, Google could be spying on the use of its application to create its own successful applications. Google has already acknowledged that it uses the service, and future research will probably tell us more about how Google extracts and uses that data.
Their Information (via The edge) who first reported the news. Google has been using an unreported Google effort called the Android Lockbox to monitor how users interact with non-Google Android apps.
Employees appear to be able to view “confidential” data about other applications, including how often an application is opened and how long it is used. Google has used Lockbox to monitor Gmail rivals and observe the use of Facebook and Instagram. The service may have been used to inspire Google’s rival TikTok, Shorts.
Google employees are supposed to ask permission to use the data, and these requests are not always approved. Users have to agree to share information with Google for Lockbox to offer useful information, according to the report. During the Android setup process, users are informed that the information will help Google deliver a more personalized experience, but the service also provides competitive research data.
Google confirmed the existence of such information from rival applications, but said the program is public and similar data can be accessed by other developers. But that’s not a fair comparison considering that Google controls Android, and it can get a lot more information from users than developers can extract. Google also said the data does not include information on how users behave in individual applications. But Google did not confirm whether it used Lockbox for competitive purposes, such as creating new applications.
As expected, Google said the data is anonymous and cannot identify users. The company also noted that the data collection is disclosed to users and that they have control over it.
Antitrust regulators are also likely to examine these issues in upcoming probes targeting tech giants, including Google. What’s interesting is that a new lawsuit directed at Google alleges that Google collects data on mobile device usage on phones even after people turn off Web and app activity. The lawsuit says the data collection is done through Google’s Firebase, a software solution that allows app developers to store data, send notifications, and track clicks and crashes.
Chris Smith started writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he knew it he was sharing his views on technology topics with readers around the world. Every time you don’t write about devices, you unfortunately don’t stay away from them, even though you desperately try. But that is not necessarily a bad thing.
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