Google's privacy updates could shake Gmail application developers
Google's privacy updates could shake Gmail application developers
It is likely that Google's plan to reduce the risk of another privacy error affects the business of many application developers who create services using the vast amount of data generated by the world's most popular email service.
This week's unit said it is containing the data it makes available to external developers of Gmail applications as part of a larger effort to ensure the privacy of its users.
Applications that do not belong to the email categories or productivity services will be removed from all Gmail data, and other developers will not be able to sell the data they collect or use for targeted advertising or market research, Google said in a publication Blog. Monday.
Changes to the rule, which will take effect on January 9, threaten to stifle the main source of revenue for a group of companies in the email data business.
Hundreds of external software developers scans the inboxes of millions of Gmail users who enrolled in email-based services in areas such as finance, travel and programming, and often collect information about the buying habits of these users and sell it to sellers, according to The Wall Street Journal in a published review in July.
The Google change illustrates the disadvantages faced by technology giants when trying to maintain an application ecosystem that offers potentially attractive services and to ensure robust data protection for users.
Blocking user data can help prevent a data breach, but it can also stifle innovation from start-ups, said Kevin Bankston, a lawyer and director of the Open Technology Institute in Washington, DC, a non-profit New America. .
"My concern is that there is going to be an overcorrection, where we end up making it difficult for users to take advantage of the data stored on the large platforms," Bankston said.
Google said it would incorporate the Gmail changes for three months so developers had time to adapt. The company announced the change along with plans to end Google+ consumer functionality after the Journal reported that Google discovered, and decided not to publish,A security failure in the social network. Earlier this year, external application developers were able to access data from profiles of unauthorized users. Google said it found no evidence of misuse.
The updated Google email client is more secure and productive, and you can even write your emails for you. David Pierce of WSJ takes you on tour. Photo / video: Emily Prapuolenis / The Wall Street Journal
Popular email applications include travel planners, shopping receipt trackers, and contact organizers. As of July, more than 160 applications were sending inbox data to Return Path Inc., a leading company in The magazine article that month. that uses the data to provide marketers with a control panel where they can see which of their emails reached the most customers.
This activity seems to be expressly prohibited by Google's new rules, which state that Gmail applications "must use the data to provide user-oriented functions and can not transfer or sell the data for other purposes, such as ad targeting, studies market, tracking email campaigns., and other unrelated purposes. "
A Google spokesman declined to comment on which developers will be affected, but said the company will only allow applications that provide a benefit to the user.
Matt Blumberg, executive director of Return Path, declined to comment on whether Gmail's rules would impact his business.
Google said that application developers should prevent human employees from reading any unprocessed user information unless they are given express permission, have to comply with the law or have to investigate security problems. Executives in this field have described that humans read a small number of user emails to improve algorithms, according to the July review of the Journal.
Even application manufacturers that meet Google's criteria will face new requirements, including a mandatory security assessment that will cost each developer between $ 15,000 and $ 75,000, Google said on their blog. That fee will be paid directly to an external evaluation company chosen by Google. All applications must also be submitted for Google to review to ensure they comply with the new policies.
Google is trying to encourage developers to create smaller and simpler versions of their applications, called "add-ons," which can be opened within the Gmail window to write new messages. The plugins give developers access to the data only during the time a user has them open on the screen.
Users of email applications may notice at least one change in the way they grant permission to access data: instead of "grouping" permissions on a screen, users accept an application to control their calendar, mail electronic, documents and other data with the press With a button, developers will have to ask permission to access these types of data individually.
That change may be subtle for users, but for developers it could mean that a smaller percentage of people do it through configuration and actually become users of an application, said Aleem Mawani, co-founder of Streak, a tool for managing the potential sales customers. the input tray.
"Users can leave," said Mawani. "You can argue that those users did not really read the notice when it was just one, but now that there are several indications, they may pay attention."
Despite the new burden of complying with Google's rules, Mr. Mawani said changes like these are good for his business because they can help restore user confidence in technology products.
Write to Douglas MacMillan in douglas.macmillan@wsj.com
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