Google is introducing a human element into their app screening process, what a novel concept. Actual real human people are going to be part of the review process, checking for breaches in Google’s developer policies.
In an increasingly automated world it’s odd, but quite refreshing, to hear about humans taking jobs from machines: that’s probably a touch dramatic but it’s still very interesting.
Google’s new initiative will see dedicated security staff trawling through the vast number of apps submitted to Google Play looking for rogue code.
Initially there were fears that this would slow down the speedy approval process but Eunice Kim, Google Play project manager, assured developers in his blog post that they “value the rapid innovation and iteration that is unique to Google Play.”
“A different angle…”
Mark James, ESET security specialist, likes the idea, explaining that “it will help, any additional methods to protect our data surely cannot be a bad thing.
“Adding the human factor will enable a different type of detection that no automated system can offer.
“Humans will see things in a different light or from a different angle and can judge what’s going on, software checking software just cannot do that.”
Software analysing software will always have a few flaws: it’s the same with Anti-virus, there is no panacea.
Software can be specifically designed to avoid detection, or faults in the detection software might let something slip through.
You could say this about humans as well but Google aren’t forgoing one for the other, a two pronged approach seems to be on the cards.
Can a system ever be perfect?
“No checking system is perfect, apps will slip through but if they can stop even a small amount of making it through then I call that a success.
“Google want their app store as clean as possible as much as the end user does so anything that helps is a bonus.
“It can be better but never perfect, the very nature of what we expect apps to be able to do for us will mean that data can be sent or received from these devices and updated often.
“All we can do is work together to make it safer using these devices that have become so much of a large factor of our busy lives.”
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Do you like this idea? Have you noticed any change in the Google Play store?