If you use an Android smartphone running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or above, then you must have noticed every new app asking for permissions. This was a feature added by Google to let users have more control over an app. Users have the ability to decide what parameters of the device an app has control over so as to make a safer ecosystem.The edit history goes as far back as your current editing session, meaning the moment you exit out of a note, undoing and redoing will no longer be possible.
Google Keep is a pretty neat app: while it’s not meant to replace heavier apps like Google Docs or even Microsoft Word, it’s perfect for quick memos and reminders. Just as you’d expect from any note keeping app, it lets you add and save texts, images, voice recordings, and even hand drawn memos. One feature that’s been missing for the longest time, however, is the ability to undo and redo the changes you’ve made.
For example, if a torch app is asking for access to your contacts, the AI should be flagging it for review. Similarly, a calculator app shouldn’t need many permissions either. Google is also creating separate categories for new app, since existing categories would limit the functionalities of the AI. “Most coloring book apps don't need to know a user's precise location to function and this can be established by analyzing other coloring book apps,” wrote Google.
However, over the course of time, app developers have cleverly made it necessary for the user to give the app access to almost all the parameters of the device for vested interests. This had led to the bombardment of bloatware on the Android ecosystem. This also makes Google’s attempt of keeping the Android ecosystem clean completely useless.
Google though, hasn’t given up and is now using the power of artificial intelligence to deal with rogue apps asking for permission to every parameter of your smartphone. Google is utilising its prowess in the field of machine learning to sort out the apps that are vicious.
Well, that changes with the latest version of Google Keep. After the update, you will have two arrows in between the “+” and the overflow menu buttons right inside the editing bar – yes, these are the all-new undo and redo controls. This means that if you want to get rid of the most recent change, you can do so with a simple tap, and bring it back with another simple tap. It’s worth noting (no pun intended), however, that the edit history goes as far back as your current editing session, meaning the moment you exit out of a note, undoing and redoing will no longer be possible.
A new algorithm will now create clusters of mobile apps with similar capabilities. It will sort apps into different categories based on the app meta data such as app description and number of installs. Then, peer groups are used to identify anomalous, potentially harmful signals related to privacy and security; from each app's requested permissions and its observed behaviours.
The correlation between different peer groups and their security signals helps different teams at Google decide which apps to promote and determine which apps deserve a more careful look by security and privacy experts. Google will also use the data to help interested app developers improve privacy and security of their apps.
What’s satisfying to see is that Google is trying hard from its side to utilise the best of technology and deal with the issues of cyber privacy. Machine learning will go a long way in creating an Android ecosystem that’s safe and sound.
The update should be rolling out as we speak in the Play Store:
The Google Play Store has millions of apps, but it has known to let malicious apps through quite easily at times. Google is taking new steps to manage this, and much like most of the company’s newer initiatives, it involves artificial intelligence. The technique is called peer grouping, and it uses a machine learning algorithms to pick out the bad apps from the good ones. The AI’s job is to pick out the apps that may be malicious, and they’re brought to a human’s notice, who then decides whether to oust the app from the Play Store.
“To protect our users and help developers navigate this complex environment, Google analyses privacy and security signals for each app in Google Play. We then compare that app to other apps with similar features, known as functional peers,” the company wrote in a blog post on the Android Developers Blog. The idea is to find similar apps and pick out the ones that may be asking for permissions they shouldn’t require.
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