EU Forces Google to Open Android Microphone, Camera and Screen Access for Rival AI Assistants
The European Union has directed Google to grant competing AI assistants equivalent access to sensitive Android resources, including the microphone, camera, and screen content. The decision aims to ensure that third-party services receive the same capabilities currently available to Gemini.
The measures encompass eleven core system functions such as voice-command activation, home-button invocation, background execution, and direct access to on-device AI models. Alternative assistants will be able to use these resources without being set as the default service.
Environmental data access will provide real-time streams from the microphone, camera, screen, and speakers. All releases must follow the same consent and notification standards that apply to Google’s own services.
AI tools will also be permitted to interact with other applications, send messages, schedule appointments, adjust device settings, and execute multi-step tasks. Screen automation will enable assistants to open applications inside a virtual window and simulate taps and typing while the user continues other activities.
The majority of these changes are required to ship in Android 18 by 1 August 2027. Simultaneous activation of multiple assistants via voice keywords will be implemented in Android 19, with a final deadline of 1 August 2028.
Every function will remain subject to explicit user authorization. For particularly sensitive operations such as screen automation, system integration, and centralized app-data queries, Google may impose objective security and certification requirements.
Related articles
How CISOs Can Speak to CEOs: Translating Cyber Risks into Business Impact and Financial Consequences
The July 2025 Aeroflot cyber incident, claimed by Silent Crow and Belarusian Cyber-Partisans, demonstrated how technical vulnerabilities quickly translate into canceled flights, regulatory investigations, stock market reactions, and direct executive accountability. The article examines the persistent communication gap between CISOs, who focus on metrics like EDR coverage and mean time to detect, and CEOs, who prioritize costs, operational disruptions, revenue loss, and personal liability. Research from EY and Splunk highlights differing perceptions of threats and success measures, while real-world cases such as Marks & Spencer, Jaguar Land Rover, Clorox, Change Healthcare, SolarWinds, and Uber show how contractor weaknesses, missing MFA, and delayed disclosures lead to hundreds of millions in damages and legal actions. Regulatory developments, including SEC charges against CISOs and Russia's 420-FZ with turnover-based fines, further force cybersecurity discussions into the boardroom. The piece provides a practical translation table showing how technical warnings should be reframed using concrete business scenarios and financial impacts. It concludes that both CISOs and CEOs must initiate conversations around unacceptable events, downtime costs, and risk reduction versus post-incident consequences.
Walk In, You've Been Recognized: The Evolution of Identification Technologies in Modern Access Control Systems
PERCo has expanded its PERCo-Web access control system with new BLE-enabled readers, companion mobile apps, and a joint facial recognition solution developed with the CRТ group. The update provides an opportunity to examine how identification methods in physical access control have developed without any single technology fully displacing the others. Traditional proximity and MIFARE cards remain the foundation, while QR codes, NFC, BLE, and biometrics each occupy specific niches based on convenience, security, and regulatory requirements. Russian Federal Law 572-FZ has fundamentally changed facial biometrics deployment by mandating use of the Unified Biometric System (EBS) or accredited commercial systems (KBS) for authentication. The article explains the technical workflow from reader to controller, the cryptographic protections of modern cards, the contactless advantages of BLE, and the privacy and compliance considerations that now make facial recognition a 'technology of trust' rather than simple convenience.
Russian Users Report Widespread App Store Outages as Roskomnadzor Denies Any Role in Restricting Access
Russian users began experiencing technical problems with the App Store starting early in the day, with the monitoring service Sboy.rf receiving 251 complaints about instability and failed downloads. The majority of reports originated from Moscow, accounting for 20 percent of cases, followed by Saint Petersburg at 13 percent and several other regions including Udmurtia, Kursk, Rostov, Bryansk oblasts and Stavropol Krai each contributing 5 percent. Affected users described inconsistent behavior of the App Store application itself along with difficulties downloading games and other software, where the Get button would appear but actual downloads would succeed only sporadically. In response to the growing number of reports, Roskomnadzor quickly issued a brief statement clarifying that it is not imposing any restrictions on access to the App Store. The exact cause of the disruptions remains unknown, Apple has not provided any official comment, and the scale of the incident is considered limited since only several hundred users have reported issues and not everyone is affected. Standard troubleshooting steps such as verifying internet connectivity, restarting the App Store application, and waiting for service restoration have been recommended to users.
VK Apps Remain Downloadable in US Google Play Despite Removal in Russia and Turkey Amid Sanctions
The removal of VK services from Google Play has proven to be less global than initially reported, with applications still accessible to users whose Google accounts are registered in the United States region. Testing revealed a clear geographic pattern: the apps are unavailable in Russian and Turkish storefronts but remain fully visible and installable under the American region. The services disappeared from the store on July 16, prompting VK to confirm that already installed applications will continue functioning without restrictions and directing users to alternative stores such as RuStore. The exact cause of the regional discrepancy remains unclear and may relate to Google Play configuration settings, ongoing sanctions against Russia, distribution policies, or simple catalog synchronization delays. In a related development, VK users have begun receiving notifications urging them to switch to the vk.ru domain, which the company states offers superior speed and reliability and will now serve as the primary address.