Google says it blocked more than 1.75 million apps from being added to the Play Store last year over policy violations. It also says 80,000 developer accounts were banned from using the service.

It didn't say whether this represented an increase either in the number of rogue apps submitted to the store, or in the proportion of all apps which failed the checks. That means it's not clear if it's a case of doing a better job of spotting rogue apps, or simply having more malicious submissions to deal with.

Another piece of key info missing from its report was how many apps were removed from the Play Store after passing the original checks but later being discovered in violation of the rules.

Fighting Real-World Harm

Google did say that the main reason it blocks an app is when it could cause "real-world harm, such as malware, financial fraud, hidden subscriptions, and privacy invasions." It didn't give many details of changes in tactics by scammers or in its own defenses, other than saying that AI had played a big role on both sides. (Source: googleblog.com)

It noted its actions aren't limited to simply blocking or removing apps. Instead it says that it limited the access of 255,000 apps to sensitive user data because they didn't meet policy requirements. Those apps remain in the store, but may not operate as the developers intended.

Review Spam and Security Scans

Experts commonly advise reading store reviewers to highlight poor quality or even risky apps. Google says it blocked 160 million ratings and reviews last year because they appeared to be spam. It notes that this included both "inflated" and "deflated" reviews.

It also says a crack down on malicious "review bombing" (a coordinated barrage of reviews and ratings not made in good faith) prevented what would have been an average decline of half a star from the "legitimate" ratings that targeted apps hold.

Google also says its Play Protect service, which scans apps including those from third-party sources, continues to be effective. It says it identified more than 27 million new apps which were not distributed by Google Play and which presented a real security threat. (Source: bleepingcomputer.com)

What's Your Opinion?

Do you feel safe when downloading new apps from the Play Store? Have you ever noticed a suspicious review or rating on an app you used? Should Google be more transparent about the apps it removes after they go live?