🟠 High | Source: The Hacker News
The European Commission has ordered Google to grant third-party AI assistants the same deep system access on Android that its own Gemini assistant enjoys — including the microphone, camera, on-screen content, always-on wake words, and the ability to control other apps. Google must implement these changes in Android 18 by 1 August 2027. While framed as a competition measure, the ruling significantly expands the attack surface available to third-party AI applications on billions of Android devices.
Security Architect’s Take: Security architects responsible for mobile device fleets should review and tighten MDM/EMM policies ahead of Android 18, specifically restricting which AI assistants are permitted to request elevated system permissions such as microphone, camera, and accessibility service access. Now is the time to establish an approved-assistant allowlist and assess enterprise data leakage risk from third-party AI assistants gaining the same privileged access as Gemini.
Original advisory: E.U. Orders Google to Open Android Mic, Camera and Screen to Rival AI Assistants