Google To Restrict Personal Loan Apps From Accessing user’s Contacts, Photos

April 6, 2023April 6, 2023 MTIMES

San Francisco: According to Google, it will no longer allow personal loan applications to access user contacts or photos as part of an update to its personal loans policy.

Google announced that it was revising its personal loans policy to prohibit apps from accessing user contacts or photos in order to provide or enable personal loans.

“Sensitive data, such as photos and contacts, are prohibited from being accessed by apps that provide personal loans or have the main objective of facilitating access to personal loans (i.e., lead generators or facilitators),” it added.

On Wednesday, the tech giant added new limitations to its Personal Loans policy for apps on the Google Play Store, blocking access to external storage, contacts, photos, videos, and call records.

According to the company, the modification will take affect on May 31. For personal loan applications in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nigeria, Kenya, and Pakistan, Google also listed extra requirements.

Companies in India will now be required to fill in the Personal Loan App Declaration and submit the required supporting documentation. For instance, if a company has a licence from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to offer personal loans, it must submit a copy of that licence for review.

Since the implementation of its new policy requiring digital lenders in the East African nation to show evidence of licence, which went into effect in January, Google has removed hundreds of loan apps from its Play Store in Kenya. This was done in March.

When Google reviewed hundreds of personal lending apps in India back in 2021, it removed a few of them for breaking the company’s app policies.

The business claimed it has requested the creators of the remaining apps to provide proof that they abide by all local laws and regulations in India.

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