FTC Sets Guidelines For Mobile Privacy Disclosures

The FTC issued a new report, Mobile Privacy Disclosures: Building Trust Through Transparency, on February 1, 2013, detailing the Commission's recommendations for best practices for key players in the mobile "ecosystem": mobile platforms, app developers, advertising networks, and other third parties such as analytics companies that collect and use data from mobile apps. The recommendations are intended to address the challenges of providing effective, accessible and timely privacy disclosures on mobile devices, given the limitations of mobile technology, including the small screen on most devices and the limited attention span of users. The report also suggests how other stakeholders, such as app developer trade associations, academics, usability experts and privacy researchers, can assist the major players in meeting the FTC's recommendations.