Will take action if apps violate our policies: Google
San Francisco, April 18: Responding to a study that found nearly 60 percent of free Android apps used by children potentially violate a federal law, Google has said that it will take action if company's policies are violated.
"If we determine that an app violates our policies, we will take action. We always appreciate the research community's work to help make the Android ecosystem safer," technology news website Tom's Guide quoted a Google spokesperson as saying.
Google responded to a study by the International Computer Science Institute in Berkeley, California, that found 57 per cent of the 5,855 Android apps used by children and families are potentially in violation of a federal law designed to protect the privacy of kids under 13-years-old.
The report said that these apps could be illegally monitoring children's behaviour online.
The federal law, 1998's Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), mandates privacy and consent requirements for website operators catering to children under 13.
"We are taking the researchers' report very seriously and looking into their findings. Protecting kids and families is a top priority and our Designed for Families programme requires developers to abide by specific requirements above and beyond our standard Google Play policies," the spokesperson added.
The study further found that 92 per cent of the 1,280 Android apps that utilise Facebook's application programming interface (API) are potentially in violation of COPPA.
The decision comes at a time when Facebook is embroiled in a scandal after reports that British data firm Cambridge Analytica had improperly gathered detailed Facebook information on 87 million users.
Last week Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the US Congress over his company's handling of user data.
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Kenya cancels airport and energy deals with Adani group after US indicts the tycoon
Nairobi, Nov 21: Kenya's president said Thursday he has cancelled multimillion-dollar airport expansion and energy deals with Indian tycoon Gautam Adani after US bribery and fraud indictments against one of Asia's richest men.
President William Ruto in a state of the nation address said the decision was made “based on new information provided by our investigative agencies and partner nations.” He didn't specify the United States.
The Adani group had been in the process of signing an agreement that would modernize Kenya's main airport in the capital, Nairobi, with an additional runway and terminal constructed, in exchange for the group running the airport for 30 years.
The widely criticised deal had sparked anti-Adani protests in Kenya and a strike by airport workers, who said it would lead to degraded working conditions and job losses in some cases.
The Adani group had also been awarded a deal to construct power transmission lines in Kenya, East Africa's business hub.
Also Thursday, Energy Minister Opiyo Wandayi told a parliamentary committee there had been no bribery or corruption involved on Kenya's part in signing that deal.
US prosecutors indicted Adani this week on charges he duped investors in a massive solar energy project in India by concealing that it was facilitated by an alleged bribery scheme. He was charged with securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud.
