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Google has been effectively implementing initiatives to deliver a personalized experience specifically for the Indian market with the core aim of localizing the technology and precisely with news content for the Indian context (1).
The company also tailored several of its services for catering to the specific needs and interests of Indian readers including specialized segments such as topical relevance, language preference, and regional diversity.
Meanwhile, the corporation is fully aware of the impact of localization and personalization to improve the news consumption experience for Indian customers by presenting them with more relevant and compelling information, in their tone.
Google is committed to improving and combatting the negative flow of misinformation and is introducing several tactics and developments for validating information, combating the flow of false or misleading content, and boosting reliable sources.
It is also optimizing fact-checking, ranking, labeling, and eliminating several mechanisms to ensure the quality and accuracy of the information flow that revolves around its platforms for Indian consumers.
Google banned 43 unsafe applications
Google Play Store is considered one of the largest app distribution platforms in the world and markets entirely with 3 million live applications and games and with such mass popularity comes the same amount of challenges.
Google Play Store recently experienced several issues concerning the infiltration of malicious applications violating its policies. This happens mostly due to the open nature of the platforms that accept a large value of submissions.
Accepting every application to the platforms also may lead toward sometimes one infiltrating with malicious intent sneaking in to harm Android users. Tackling such occurrences, Google recently removed 43 applications that were secretly defecting its user's data and devices.
The company removed 43 applications from its platform after they analyzed ads that were rolling in the application even when the user's device was off. One of the applications had millions of downloads, and turns out it consumed the mass mobile data of its users.
The identification was carried out by the Mobile Research Team at McAfee. The company analyzed and submitted a detailed report to Google of the apps violating its policies and stealing its user's mobile data.
Most of the reported applications have been removed from the Play Store while others have been forced to update to developers or not doing so would lead to termination from the platform like others.
McAfee also urged the users who installed these applications for deleting from their devices immediately to have a secure environment and not leak their device's further problems after the leak of the news.
It was McAfee's Mobile Research Team that discovered the misleading practice operated among some applications on Google Play Stores, stating these apps keep loading ads while the user's screen stays off.
This can seem a little convenient for user scoring points watching ads but it surely violates the Google Play Developer policy for ads. However, doing so not just affects advertisements paying for invisible Ads but:
- Drains user battery
- Consumers mobile data
- May infiltrate your device offline
- Leak device information
- Disrupting user's profile, etc.
The entire list of banned applications by Google includes several categories including:
- Music Players
- News Applications
- Calendar Applications
- TV/DMB Players
It is important and wise to delete these applications immediately from your device to prevent yourself from the possible consequences we discussed above. It is crucial to stay alert and careful in times when cybercrime is becoming often occurring.
Download the applications that are certified by trusted developers and go through the permission and terms and conditions carefully before installing on your device or else you might fall prey to severe scams.
Also, make sure to keep your Android device always up-to-date with the security patches and get yourself a security application installed to scan your device for potential malware and malicious activity.
