Even with all the intelligence at their disposal, human beings cannot really avoid making a mistake every once in a while. This is something we have already learned quite a few times throughout our history, with each reminder forcing us to look for a defensive cover. Luckily, we will, on our part, find that cover once we bring dedicated regulatory bodies into the fold. Having a well-defined authority across each and every area was a game-changer, as it instantly made up for a lot of our flaws. Nevertheless, the whole runner, at the same time, was also pretty short-lived, and if we are being honest, it was all because of technology. You see, the moment technology and its layered nature took over the scene; it practically blindsided our newfound regulatory industry, thus sending us back to square one. Now, while this tech-driven imbalance has grown rather significantly since then, it now seems to be, at last, on the mend. In fact, various developments over the recent past come together to indicate the same, and Google’s latest move joins that very list of testimonies.
In an effort to scale up the user experience across Play Store, Google has formally announced wide-ranging policy changes that focus on revamping the way ads are delivered on your device. According to certain reports, the updated guidelines, which go into effect on 30th September 2022, will prohibit developers from showing full-screen pop up ads that cannot be skipped after 15 seconds. Nevertheless, if the user chooses to watch these ads to, let’s say, get some rewards, or in case they are presented during a break in the action, then they’ll be counted as a viable exception. Mind you, the users already have an option to close out of full-screen ads, but this 15-second timeframe is certainly a new addition.
Beyond that, Google is making significant changes in terms of how apps can implement and use Android’s built-in VPN. To give you an example, apps will no longer be allowed to implement their own VPNs to collect user data unless they get explicit permission from the user. Staying on VPNs for a second, the developers must also avoid employing VPN to help users bypass or change ads from other apps. This, in particular, should do a lot to cut back on the problem of ad fraud where users pretend to be clicking on ads from one country while actually being in another.
Interestingly, after dealing with it quite a lot over the recent times, Google has also, somewhat unsurprisingly, introduced a special injunction that revolves around reducing misinformation about vaccines, unapproved treatments, or “other harmful health practices, such as conversion therapy.”