Thailand is the pioneering country in Google’s introduction of using the Google Play Protect feature in 2024 to block attempts to install apps that may pose risks from unknown sources on the internet (sideloading). In Thailand, the agency collaborating with Google is the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES).
Google reported that up to now, Google Play Protect has blocked over 6.6 million risky app installations on Android devices in Thailand, totaling 1.4 million devices. However, cybercriminals often use social engineering to deceive users into disabling Google Play Protect and downloading dangerous apps from unfamiliar sources on the internet.
Nevertheless, Google has enhanced mobile security measures by ensuring that the feature to disable scanning of apps by Google Play Protect is automatically turned off during regular phone calls, including voice and video calls through various applications.
Source: Press releases, Google Thailand Blog, Google Play Support
TLDR: Thailand leads the way in implementing Google Play Protect to safeguard against risky app installations, with added measures for mobile security by Google.
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