According to research by The Information has shown, Google monitors how Android users interact with non-Google apps and then uses this data in part to develop its own competing apps.
Specifically, Google India is said to have evaluated the data of users of Tiktok and comparable social media apps.
It’s about an internal project called “Android Lockbox.” In this context, Google uses sensitive data for its own market analyzes, as insiders told The Information.
Although the app usage data has been collected since 2014 and can be deactivated by users at any time. According to Google, the data collected does not include any in-app activities.
According to The Verge, Google confirmed that the Android App Usage API provides access to information about third-party app usage. These would be not only available to Google but also to other developers.
Google, therefore, uses them for functions such as digital wellbeing, adaptive battery, and the discovery of new apps in the play store. Google did not comment on The Verge on whether the data was also used for market analyzes.
As a user, if you don’t want your own data to be used in this way, you can deactivate it in Android’s settings. In the Google menu item, there are three items in the top right. Hidden behind this is the Usage & Diagnostics menu, in which the sending of diagnostic, device, and app usage data can be deactivated.
