Google bans dozens of apps after detecting spyware
Google banned dozens of apps – including popular Muslim prayer apps with more than 10 million downloads – from its Play Store after discovering that they were secretly harvesting data, according to reports.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the code was engineered by a company linked to a US defence contractor “that does cyberintelligence, network-defence and intelligence-intercept work for US national-security agencies.” The code was reportedly being used to siphon off personal identifiers, such as phone numbers, from the devices. Some of the apps could even detect users’ locations, and in total, had been downloaded more than 60 million times.
The most popular affected apps include Al-Moazin Lite (Prayer Times), Qibla Compass – Ramadan 2022, Al Quran Mp3 – 50 Reciters & Translation Audio, Speed Camera Radar and Smart Kit 360, among others.
