Mobile Apps And Privacy – New U.S. Initiatives

Privacy issues related to mobile apps have been at the center of attention of U.S. authorities recently. In January, the Attorney General of the State of California, the state's chief legal officer whose duties include ensuring that the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced, issued a report that provides recommendations for mobile app developers. On February 1, 2013, the Federal Trade Commission ("FTC"), the US federal agency in charge of consumer protection and the nation's chief privacy watchdog, issued a staff report, recommending ways in which the key mobile app market players can better inform consumers about their privacy practices. On the same day, the FTC also issued a press release stating that Path, Inc., the operator of the social networking app Path, had settled FTC charges relating to the alleged deception of users by collecting personal information from their address books without their knowledge and consent. As the largest app platforms