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Friday, February 17, 2012
FTC Report Raises Privacy Questions About Mobile Applications
for Children
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A survey released by FTC shows that neither the app stores nor
the app developers provide the information parents need to
determine what data is being collected from their children,
how it is being shared, or who will have access to it.
"At the FTC, one of our highest priorities is protecting
children's privacy, and parents deserve the tools to help them
do that," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. "Companies that
operate in the mobile marketplace provide great benefits, but
they must step up to the plate and provide easily accessible,
basic information, so that parents can make informed decisions
about the apps their kids use. Right now, it is almost
impossible to figure out which apps collect data and what they
do with it. The kids app ecosystem needs to wake up, and we
want to work collaboratively with industry to help ensure
parents have the information they need."
According to the FTC report, Mobile Apps for Kids: Current
Privacy Disclosures Are Disappointing, in 2008, smartphone
users could choose from about 600 available apps. Today there
are more than 500,000 apps in the Apple App Store and 380,000
in the Android Market. "Consumers have downloaded these apps
more than 28 billion times, and young children and teens are
increasingly embracing smartphone technology for entertainment
and educational purposes."
The report says the survey focused on the largest stores, the
Apple App Store and the Android Market, and evaluated the
types of apps offered to children, the disclosures provided to
users, interactive features such as connectivity with social
media, and the ratings and parental controls offered for such
apps.
The report notes that mobile apps can capture a broad range of
user information from a mobile device automatically, including
the user's precise geolocation, phone number, list of
contacts, call logs, unique identifiers, and other information
stored on the device. At the same time, "the report highlights
the lack of information available to parents prior to
downloading mobile apps for their children, and calls on
industry to provide greater transparency about their data
practices."
While there was a diverse pool of kids apps created by
hundreds of different developers, there was almost no
information about the data collection and sharing on the Apple
App store promotion pages and little information beyond
general permission statements on the Android Market promotion
pages. "In most instances, staff was unable to determine from
the information on the app store page or the developer's
landing page whether an app collected any data, let alone the
type of data collected, the purpose for such collection, and
who . . . obtained access to such data."
The report recommends:
- All members of the "kids app ecosystem" - the stores,
developers and third parties providing services - should play
an active role in providing key information to
parents.
- App developers should provide data practices information in
simple and short disclosures. They also should disclose
whether the app connects with social media, and whether it
contains ads. Third parties that collect data also should
disclose their privacy practices.
- App stores also should take responsibility for ensuring that
parents have basic information. "As gatekeepers of the app
marketplace, the app stores should do more." The report notes
that the stores provide architecture for sharing pricing and
category data, and should be able to provide a way for
developers to provide information about their data collection
and sharing practices.
The report notes that more should be done to identify the best
way to convey data practices in plain language and in easily
accessible ways on the small screens of mobile devices. The
agency will host a public workshop in 2012, in connection with
its efforts to update the FTC's "Dot Com Disclosure" guide,
about how to provide effective online disclosures. "One of the
topics that will be addressed is mobile privacy disclosures,
including how they can be short, effective, and accessible to
consumers on small screens."
The FTC enforces the Children's Online Privacy Protection
Rule. The Rule requires operators of online services,
including interactive mobile apps, to provide notice and get
parental consent prior to collecting information from children
under 13. The report says in the next 6 months, FTC staff will
conduct an additional review to determine whether some mobile
apps were violating COPPA. |
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