Remove dozens of malicious applications from the Play Store

These included a QR code scanner, a weather app, and a religious app. Some of these apps were downloaded more than 10 million times.

A spokesman for Google told the BBC: “All applications on Google Play, regardless of its designer, must follow our policies.” When we find that an application has violated these policies, we take appropriate action.

Google has previously warned app developers to be transparent with users about the information they share.

In December 2021, the company announced that applications that did not comply with the company’s data policy would be banned from the Play Store.

According to the researchers who identified the problem, the applications contained a software development kit (SDK) that sent confidential information to a third party. The problem was described in a report by researchers at the University of Calgary and the University of California.

At one time, this application was a QR and barcode scanner that was downloaded more than five million times. Users usually forget about such an application after one or two uses. The app sent sensitive user information, such as the exclusive IMEI number of their device, to a Panamanian-based company. This information was then traced to a company in Virginia, USA.

The Wall Street Journal reports that there is a connection between the company and the US government through another company.

According to the BBC News Network, a Google spokesman said that applications that have been removed from the Google Play Store due to the collection of confidential information from users’ devices, if the SDK is removed, can request to return to this store.