Starting with apps in the VPN category, Google’s Play Store is soon highlighting apps with independent security reviews.
The company announced the change on the official Google Security blog. Google Android users who visit Google Play to browse for apps may open the data safety section for security and privacy information.
There, they will soon find the new independent security review label. Google plans to roll this out to apps in the VPN category first.
Google explains that VPN apps handle “sensitive and significant amount(s) of user data”. This makes them an excellent category to introduce the functionality.
Independent Security Reviews banner on Google Play
A new Independent Security Review banner is already displayed to Android users who search for VPN apps on Google Play. The banner, displayed beneath a list of advertisement for VPN apps, informs users about the security feature.
The banner lists the associated badge and includes the following description:
VPN apps with this badge in the Data safety section have been independently validated against a global security standard.
A link opens the website of the App Defense Alliance that lists all VPN apps with the badge. Only eight VPN apps are on the list currently. They are:
- Aloha Browser + Private VPN
- ExpressVPN: VPN Fast & Secure
- Google One
- NordVPN: private & secure VPN
- Private Internet Access VPN
- SkyVPN – Fast Secure VPN
- Tomato VPN | VPN Proxy
- vpnify – Unlimited VPN Proxy
A tap on any app and the selection of Data safety displays the new badge, provided that the app has undergone the security validation by App Defense Alliance’s global security standard. Those without it have not, but that does not mean that they have not passed other security audits.
What this means
Google highlights VPN apps that have passed the security validation on Google Play. The badge is not displayed on the apps’ main page, however, and it is easily overlooked in the data safety section.
Apps that passed validation meet “industry mobile security and privacy minimum best practices” according to Google. The badge does not “imply that a product is free of vulnerabilities” though.
To sum it up: the badge highlights that apps have passed independent security reviews, which is a good thing. Other apps, without the badge, may also have passed security audits. Some of these audits may have been more thorough than the one required to get the badge on Google Play.
Verdict
The new badge is a welcome addition to Google Play as it may help users pick a VPN app. While there are other criteria, such as features and performance, security is without doubt important.
That Google displays ads for VPN apps before the Independent Security Reviews badge is a problem. The listing in Data Safety makes sense, but Google might want to consider adding the badge to an application’s main page as well.
All in all, it is a welcome addition on Google Play. Users may still want to research VPN providers before installing any of them on their Android devices.
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