Google made Android 12 open-source earlier this week, and now, the company has said it is focused on helping organizations achieve the right balance between protecting employee privacy and equipping it with necessary security and controls.
Android 12 introduces user privacy enhancements for all managed devices, including improved transparency of admin controls.
“Work profile users will be able to approve (if allowed by their IT admin) or deny sensor-related permissions, such as location and camera, to work profile apps. On fully-managed devices, IT admins can choose to give their users this same control,” Google said in a statement late Thursday.
To further protect user privacy, admins will be able to set up WiFi networks for employees through a new network API that doesn’t require user location permissions.
Hardware device IDs for personal devices have also changed.
“Now, instead of solely hardware-based identifiers, companies can use a combination of hardware and employer-specific identifiers that help preserve employee privacy if they leave their organisation,” said Google.
For Android 12, Google has added additional controls to help enterprise IT teams reduce security risks and ensure tighter monitoring of business data.
A key addition is network logging for the work profile, to give organizations added control and reporting for their work data, while still protecting user privacy in the personal profile.
“We’re also empowering IT to decide what input method editors (IMEs) employees can use in their personal profiles to reduce the risk of using a rogue keyboard that could capture data on the device. IT will also have the ability to disable USB signaling for anything but charging, reducing the risk of USB-based attacks,” the tech giant explained.
Admins can now easily set password requirements that meet modern security best practices by choosing between pre-set password complexity levels.
IT admins will also have the option to slice their 5G network and dedicate connectivity to all apps on a fully managed device, or specifically to apps in the work profile.
“In partnership with their carrier, admins will be able to have wider control over quality of service and security of work data,” Google noted.
