Google has taken down over 180 apps from the Play Store after discovering a large-scale ad fraud scheme.
This scheme affected more than 56 million downloads.
Google tried to control the situation by rolling out security patches to fix the issue.
Google has taken down over 180 apps from the Play Store after discovering a large-scale ad fraud scheme. This scheme affected more than 56 million downloads, causing harm to users, advertisers, and app developers.
SurveyAccording to a Forbes report, the tech giant tried to control the situation by rolling out security patches to fix the issue. However, these efforts didn’t fully solve the problem, leaving Google with no choice but to remove the fraudulent apps from the store.
An ad fraud scheme is different from typical malware. Instead of stealing data or damaging devices, fraudsters trick advertisers into paying for fake user engagement. These fake interactions make it seem like ads are being shown to real users when they’re not. In some cases, users do see ads, but at an overwhelming frequency, ruining their app experience and potentially driving them away from the Play Store altogether.
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The fraudsters behind this scheme created deceptive apps, and showed them on popular categories. Users would unknowingly download these apps, only to be bombarded with unnecessary ads. Some of these apps don’t have a visible icon or ‘open’ button for the user to interact with. This made it difficult for users to find and delete the problematic apps themselves.
This scheme didn’t just harm users. It also impacted legitimate advertisers paying to promote their products and genuine app developers relying on ad revenue. It even managed to bypass Google Play Protect, Android’s built-in security feature designed to protect against harmful apps.
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Google worked with Integral Ad Science (IAS) to tackle the issue. IAS helped disrupt the fraudulent operation and collaborated with other industry partners to limit the damage.
In response to IAS’ report, Google said, “Google Play Protect will warn users and automatically disable these apps, even when they originate from sources outside of Google Play.”
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Ayushi Jain
Ayushi works as Chief Copy Editor at Digit, covering everything from breaking tech news to in-depth smartphone reviews. Prior to Digit, she was part of the editorial team at IANS. View Full Profile
