Google warned app developers to be clear with users about the information they share with Huq, a British company that sells location data. Google has said that apps that don’t comply with its data policy face ban from its Play Store.
It comes after Huq admitted to the BBC that at least two app partners had failed to seek the correct user permissions. Huq reported that the company took data protection “very seriously” and that he believed that all partners were complying.
Application partnerships and data sharing with third parties are under increased scrutiny from regulators and policy makers around the world. Huq partners with a variety of apps, including a Muslim prayer app, a flight tracking app, and a weather app. The application developers incorporate some lines of code provided by Huq that feed back the location data, which is then collected by Huq. This information is then sold to customers, including various UK councils.