Google removes personal loan apps in India following abuse reports

Google announced on Thursday that it has removed hundreds of personal loan apps in India to prevent abuse following several reports from users and government agencies. 

Suzanne Frey, Vice President, Product, Android Security and Privacy, said in a statement that “We have reviewed hundreds of personal loan apps in India, based on flags submitted by users and government agencies. The apps that were found to violate our user safety policies were immediately removed from the Store, and we have asked the developers of the remaining identified apps to demonstrate that they comply with applicable local laws and regulations. Apps that fail to do so will be removed without further notice. In addition, we will continue to assist the law enforcement agencies in their investigation of this issue.”

“They should not use permissions that give access to user or device data for undisclosed, unimplemented, or disallowed features or purposes,” the company said in a post.

A recent investigation by Reuters found at least 10 lending apps on Play Store breached Google’s rules on loan repayment lengths aimed at protecting vulnerable borrowers. It also found that a number of the lending apps also flouted central bank regulations aimed at protecting borrowers..

Google did not reveal the exact number and names of apps that had been removed from the Google Play Store.