‘Google has competition-sensitive information on Android apps from third parties’

On Android, Google seems to have the option of viewing ‘sensitive’ information in third-party applications, which, among other things, can be used to find out how users use an application. This could be used, among other things, to create competing apps.

This is evident from a story that The Information has put online. It is the Android Lockbox program, which is allegedly used by Google to gather information about application usage. This would be competition-sensitive information such as how often an application is opened and how long the user is working on it.

According to sources from The Information, Google would have used this program, among other things, to develop a Tik Tok competitor called Shorts. This app would still be under development. The use of applications such as Facebook and Instagram was also monitored, according to the sources of The Information.

In a response to The Information, Google says that only information obtained through the Android App Usage Data API is used, and this API can also be used by other developers. In addition, Google denies that it is about keeping an eye on competing apps. Sources of the site, however, state that Google has options to access data beyond what the API provides, although this has not been further elaborated on.