Google is said to have banned many applications from its Play Store after discovering that they were collecting personal information such as location, phone numbers, and email addresses from users. Google stated that it “takes necessary action” against apps that do not follow its regulations on a regular basis. Google has deleted six applications from Google Play that were tainted with the Sharkbot bank robbery virus. Before being removed from the market, the applications, which pretended to be antivirus solutions, had been downloaded 15,000 times.
A QR code scanner, a weather app, and a Muslim prayer app were among the over a dozen apps removed from the Google Play store, according to a BBC report.
According to the research, these applications purportedly had malicious code that stole people’s data, and some of them had been downloaded more than 10 million times. “Regardless of creator, all apps on Google Play must adhere to our regulations.” We take necessary action when we find an app that breaches our regulations,” a Google spokeswoman told the press.
Apps that are misleading, harmful, or designed to exploit or misuse any network, device, or personal data are absolutely forbidden from the Google Play store, according to Google’s Developer Content Policy. App makers were also cautioned to be transparent with their users about the information they give.
The announcement comes after Google deleted six applications from the Play Store. These apps were created to seem like antivirus software for Android phones. The applications had been downloaded 15,000 times and were infested with the Sharkbot bank thief virus. The phones were targeted by applications that employed a geofencing function to harvest login credentials from users in Italy and the United Kingdom.
A security firm uncovered an app earlier this year that was collecting financial information from Android smartphone owners. The program pretended to be an open-source application with the same features. It was infested with a malicious banking malware and had over 10,000 downloads before being pulled from the Google Play store.
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