The United States has no single national privacy protection agency. Over the past 20 years, however, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken a leading role in education, outreach to consumer and industry groups, and enforcement in the area of privacy and data security. The FTC’s Division of Privacy and Identity Protection, within its Bureau of Consumer Protection, enforces several federal statutes, regarding “unfair or deceptive” practices, fair credit reporting, and confidentiality of financial information. Further, the FTC takes principal responsibility for enforcement of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which aims to place parents in control over what information is collected from their young children online.
Recently, the FTC began to focus on privacy issues related to mobile communication device applications. In February 2012, the agency released a report of a survey regarding information available to parents about privacy features on mobile apps. And this month, the FTC issued a follow-up report entitled "Mobile Apps for Kids: Disclosures Still Not Making the Grade." The latest study emphasizes that the FTC’s goal, at least for now, is to “encourage ‘best practices’ by companies in the kids’ app ecosystem.” Indeed, “some of staff’s recommendations may go beyond what would be required to comply with the law,” the agency noted.
Despite these expressed limitations, the FTC’s latest report referenced “multiple nonpublic investigations” meant to “determine whether certain entities in the mobile app marketplace” have violated COPPA or engaged in “unfair or deceptive trade practices.” The agency claimed that its survey results “paint a disappointing picture” of privacy protections in mobile apps and suggested a need for “more resolute action by industry to address this important issue.”
The issue of privacy in mobile app usage certainly will not go away. As the FTC noted, the market for mobile apps “has continued to grow at an explosive rate, providing many benefits and conveniences to consumers.” According to research cited in the FTC report, 9 out of 10 US adults own cellphones, and more than 40 percent of owners download apps. The market for apps, already large, almost certainly will continue to grow at a fast pace. One report suggests that the market for mobile games alone may top $7.5 billion worldwide by 2015. The FTC emphasized that many such games are meant for children.
The FTC’s new report comes at a point when the agency has sought public comments on new COPPA-implementing regulations, to “keep current with technology advances.” Meanwhile, in its new report, the FTC called on “industry participants” to “work together to develop accurate disclosures regarding what data is collected through kids’ apps, how it will be used, who it will be shared with, and whether the apps contain interactive features such as advertising, the ability to make in-app purchases, and links to social media.” Developments in this area show the FTC continuing to serve as a pivotal point in the formulation and enforcement of national policies regarding privacy and data security.
— Steven C. Bennett is a partner in the New York City offices of international law firm Jones Day. The views expressed are his and should not be attributed to Bennett's firm or clients.
I agree. But many people don't want to take the time to go through it all. In all honesty, it's really written by attorneys for attorneys, not regular folks.
I think its better to understand terms and conditions before going ahead with any application...sometimes we commit to certain conditions and later on suffer due to unawareness about some hidden conditionalties. Although most of the companies are not inclined to trick their customers but some apps lay traps for potential customers through certain hidden clauses.
My opinion on national privacy law is that not only it should exist on a federal level but it should also specifically cover the provision for privacy for those who are stakeholders of the internet. A separate provision is necessary because almost everyone is affected by the internet privacy protection situation and if it is effective, many users can enhance their data sharing habits on internet compared to what it is today. I know users who still don't talk personal stuff over internet because they have concerns over maintenance of their privacy by the famous website operators such as facebook, google, microsoft (for hotmail) and yahoo.
The concerns expressed by the FTC in its recent reports have focused on apps gathering information about users, and the adequacy of disclosures about such information-gathering.
That's right, Stephen, and there also looking at the problems created for the existing law by cloud computing. When you're strictly constrained as to what data you retain, and how long for, matters can get tricky once you hoist information into the cloud.
According to the FTC and SOPPA, what would be illegal actions within Apps? Sometimes I wonder why certain apps require information about my contacts, notifications, etc. when its job is to be a ruler. Seems every app want to be "social".
The EU is also in the midst of a comprehensive review of the Privacy Directive, aimed at (among other things) encouraging greater uniformity of treatment among the member states. The USA really does not have a single body aimed at such coordination, other than the FTC (and, to a degree, the Commerce Department). As a result, businesses often complain about the "checkerboard" of regulations, which may be inconsistent and often can be confusing.
Individual European nations have their own data protection agencies, but there has been considerable -- and growing -- cooperation on issues affecting the entire community. Google's privacy policy is an example.
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A recent Michigan case -- Ahmed v. Finley's Mfg. Co. -- concerned the settlement of class action claims that "halal" products offered at fast food restaurants in Dearborn did not comply with Islamic dietary restrictions.
The advancement of digital technology opens unprecedented avenues for e-commerce, aided by digital currency systems. In addition to online credit cards and other forms of payment, technology has developed to the point where individuals can carry digital wallets within their smartphones and complete transactions with near-instantaneous payment. This Forbes India article provides a description of digital wallet systems.
Social media platforms have greatly transformed personal interactions in the work environment. But the trend toward daily use of social networks, at work and elsewhere, has generated legal controversy as to what is protected worker activity and what is grounds for termination.
Big-data and analytics tools enable marketers to understand customers as individuals, identifying unmet needs and addressing each customer as a "segment of one," says John Kennedy, VP corporate marketing, IBM.
New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority is conducting a pilot test of digital kiosks to guide subway users to where they want to go more efficiently and at lower cost.
The whole Amazon.reader debate is a double-stupid. It's stupid to think that there's any e-book buyer who doesn't know Amazon's URL, and it was stupider to let ICANN launch the whole free-form TLD initiative to start with.
While NFC's original goal was to enhance mobile commerce applications, it is finding its way into a number of other uses, which is creating both opportunity as well as challenges for IT departments.
Enterprises would like to move to cloud computing but are hesitant because they are concerned about providers’ ability to secure company data. Here are some tips that help to ensure that if breaches occur, the business is not left holding the bag.
Edmunds separates customers into segments based on the info it collects on its site and from partners, and uses that to push out custom content, said Brian Baron, director of business analytics for Edmunds.com, at Predictive Analytics Innovation Summit.
The IBM Smarter Commerce Global Summit in Monaco kicked into high gear today, and we've already begun to see news emerging from that lovely city-state by the sea.
Expert Integrated Systems: Changing the Experience & Economics of IT In this e-book, we take an in-depth look at these expert integrated systems -- what they are, how they work, and how they have the potential to help CIOs achieve dramatic savings while restoring IT's role as business innovator. READ THIS eBOOK
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