ASPIRE to keep protecting billions of Android users

Posted by Billy Lau and René Mayrhofer, Android Security & Privacy Team

Customization is one of Android's greatest strengths. Android's open source nature has enabled thousands of device types that cover a variety of use cases. In addition to adding features to the Android Open Source Project, researchers, developers, service providers, and device and chipset manufacturers can make updates to improve Android security. Investing and engaging in academic research advances the state-of-the-art security techniques, contributes to science, and delivers cutting edge security and privacy features into the hands of end users. To foster more cooperative applied research between the Android Security and Privacy team and the wider academic and industrial community, we're launching ASPIRE (Android Security and PrIvacy REsearch).

ASPIRE's goal is encouraging the development of new security and privacy technology that impacts the Android ecosystem in the next 2 to 5 years, but isn't planned for mainline Android development. This timeframe extends beyond the next annual Android release to allow adequate time to analyze, develop, and stabilize research into features before including in the platform. To collaborate with security researchers, we're hosting events and creating more channels to contribute research.

On October 25th 2018, we invited top security and privacy researchers from around the world to present at Android Security Local Research Day (ASLR-D). At this event, external researchers and Android Security and Privacy team members discussed current issues and strategies that impact the future direction of security research—for Android and the entire industry.

We can't always get everyone in the same room and good ideas come from everywhere. So we're inviting all academic researchers to help us protect billions of users. Research collaborations with Android should be as straightforward as collaborating with the research lab next door. To get involved you can:

1. Submit an Android security / privacy research idea or proposal to the Google Faculty Research Awards (FRA) program.
2. Apply for a research internship as a student pursuing an advanced degree.
3. Apply to become a Visiting Researcher at Google.
4. If you have any security or privacy questions that may help with your research, reach out to us.
5. Co-author publications with Android team members, outside the terms of FRA.
6. Collaborate with Android team members to make changes to the Android Open Source Project.

Let’s work together to make Android the most secure platform—now and in the future.