Google is officially rolling out its security certification standard for Android devices and apps in India. The certification which goes by the name “Play Protect” was initially launched in May this year. The certification is provided as a seal of guarantee to manufacturers and developers on box sets and mobile apps. For this, the company claims to work with various manufacturers globally, and run “hundreds of compatibility tests” to ensure devices comply with Android security and permissions architecture. Note that Google’s feature is being rolled out in India at a time when privacy issue has taken centre stage in India. The Indian government said that it will soon introduce standalone security standards for mobile phones and related services. The Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) also directed more than 20 handset makers to submit details about security architecture and standards that they follow for storing customer data. TRAI also has an ongoing public consultation on data protection, while the Supreme Court recently upheld privacy as a fundamental right. The ruling has some effect on device manufacturers and developers. We have explained it here. Speaking to MediaNama, a Google India spokesperson said that Play Protect is not a new service and was not launched in India because of any standing instructions from the Indian government. “This (Play Protect) is being rolled out in many regions alongside India and neighbouring countries like Indonesia. This has been happening since the last month in fact, and was launched in India just last week,” the spokesperson added. Several Original…
