Path recently sparked a huge controversy over user privacy violations in popular App Store apps, and the media firestorm that resulted has now promoted The California Attorney General to enforce new standards for informing users about app privacy policies.
Apple, Google, Microsoft, HP, Amazon and RIM will now be implementing new policies that developers must comply with when publishing apps online. All information that’s collected from the user will be outlined in the app’s privacy policy and made viewable in app stores before downloading.
This agreement will allow consumers the opportunity to review an app’s privacy policy before they download the app rather than after, and will offer consumers a consistent location for an app’s privacy policy on the application-download screen. If developers do not comply with their stated privacy policies, they can be prosecuted under California’s Unfair Competition Law and/or False Advertising Law.
The agreement further commits the platforms to educate developers about their obligations to respect consumer privacy and to disclose to consumers what private information they collect, how they use the information, and with whom they share it. The platforms will also work to improve compliance with privacy laws by giving users tools to report non-compliant apps and committing companies to implement processes to respond to these reports.
In the near future you’ll be able to easily view any app’s privacy policy before you download, and any developer that doesn’t comply with the policy can be charged under California law. “By ensuring that mobile apps have privacy policies, we create more transparency and give mobile users more informed control over who accesses their personal information and how it is used,” said the Attorney General.
Apple’s App Store is actually one of the worst platforms for displaying an app’s privacy permissions plainly. The Android Market and other popular apps stores display app permissions much more visibly, but it’s nearly impossible to find privacy information in the App Store before actually installing an app.
This new ruling from The California Attorney General will hopefully spur technology companies and developers alike to disclose privacy information more transparently.
