Google has been having a bit of a torrid time with the Play Store recently. As well as the many scams and malware infested apps that constantly plague the Google store, the internet giant has also been having to deal with wholesale abuse of its best practices by major app developers based in China. In recent months we’ve seen a number of bulk breaches of trust that have led to Google taking drastic action in order to protect Play Store users.
The first came from app developer DO Global that had over 100 apps on the Google Play Store that between them had been downloaded over 600 million times. Google had to remove 46 of these apps while also looking into subsidiary developers linked to DO Global because the developer was committing ad fraud on a massive scale and abusing user permissions.
Another massive breach of trust came via the Chinese-based firm CooTek. CooTek’s 238 apps had amassed an impressive 440 million downloads between them. The problem was that they were also running unauthorized adware that could make the victim’s phones useless. The adware would lay dormant on the victim’s phone for some time before eventually bombarding them with so many ads that many victims couldn’t even perform basic functions like unlocking their phone.
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Read nowGoogle has banned CooTek from the Google Play Store and its ad platforms
Google responded to the CooTek scandal by requesting the developer update all of its software and replace its apps on the Play Store with clean installs. CooTek duly complied with the Google request and it looked like all CooTek apps on the Google Play Store had been removed or updated.
Unfortunately, however, it appears CooTek wasn’t actually doing what it said it was. Rather than simply removing BeiTaPlugin, the aggressive adware in question, CooTek broke it up and hid its various functions deeper in the code of each of its apps. This meant that anybody downloading one of the affected apps could still fall victim to the aggressive ads that make normal use of a phone impossible.
Following the investigation that discovered the above, Google has taken swift action, banning CooTek both from the Play Store and its ad services. A Google Spokesperson said, “Our Google Play developer policies strictly prohibit malicious and deceptive behavior, as well as disruptive ads. When violations are found, we take action.” Google also confirmed that the hundreds of CooTek apps on the Play Store are being removed and that over 60 are already gone.
Although this puts the CooTek issue to bed this likely won’t be the last time we hear about fake apps and ad scams finding their way on to the Play Store. The sheer size of the platform makes it almost impossible to completely protect. Stick with us then, to stay up to date with all the latest news relating to where you buy all your Android apps.
