Google Blocks Ads That Promote Spy Applications


 Google recently removed a number of ads promoting consumer spyware (spy) apps from the Play Store. The reason, of course, is because it violates Google policies and violates the privacy of others.

This ad promotes if the application can be used by parents to monitor their children's device usage such as monitoring calls, incoming messages, photos and also location.


However, these applications are often made to be installed secretly and without the consent of the device owner, such as monitoring the movements of a partner who is suspected of having an affair or also known as 'stalkware'.


Citing a report from TechCrunch, it was found that there were five application makers who pushed this spyware application to consumers. It was found that the creators of this app used a workaround to evade detection from Google's systems. In the report, one of the creators of the spyware runs ads that link to web pages outside the domain of the app creator.


In a blog post about Google's updated advertising policy last year, Malwarebytes, an expert in the anti-malware field, said the changes were incomplete.


Google's advertising policies explicitly state child monitoring apps and private investigation services are exceptions to its new rule. This is because the line between stalking apps used to spy on spouses and apps used to monitor children is difficult to define.

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