[Source NYT July 26, 2013, 8:13 am]
Like food packages that display nutrition labels, some mobile apps
could soon display information that allows consumers to decide at a
glance whether the apps are good for them, Natasha Singer reports.
A variety of groups, including app developers and consumer advocates,
have agreed to test a voluntary code of conduct that would require
participating app developers to offer short-form notices about whether
their apps collect certain personal details from users — including
health and social networking data — or share user-specific data with
entities like advertising networks or consumer data resellers.
The idea is to allow people to compare the data collection practices
of, say, flashlight apps and choose one that does not ingest unrelated
material like their photos or contact lists. The determination that the
notices are ready for testing is the outcome of yearlong negotiations —
convened by the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration, a division of the United States Commerce Department — to
increase mobile app transparency for consumers. Participants included
app developers, digital marketing, civil liberties, consumer and privacy
groups.
On Thursday, many participants in the process voted to support a
version of the code drafted by a diverse coalition including the
Application Developers Alliance, an industry association, and advocacy
groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the World Privacy
Forum.
Although major mobile app developers like Apple and Google, which
develops mobile apps for its Android platform, have not indicated
whether they intend to sign on to the code of conduct, groups involved
in drafting it say it is a significant advance in mobile privacy for
consumers — and an unusual agreement among industry and consumer
advocates.
“It’s a victory for common sense,” said Tim Sparapani, vice president
for law, policy and government relations at the Application Developers
Alliance, a group representing more than 100 companies and 20,000
individual developers.
