The Future of Privacy Forum reported that application developers are getting better at writing up privacy policies on both Google and Apple operating systems, but some still don’t take that minimum first step, even when collecting sensitive information.
A private firm, Lookout Security, found far more invasive practices by the companies that serve advertisements. Some pushed advertisements to the device notification bar, well beyond the confines of the actual application. Others inserted shortcuts on the mobile desktops and tweaked bookmarks settings.“Given the pace at which the mobile ecosystem is moving, it’s important that standards are developed to ensure that private user data is accessed and managed appropriately,” Lookout Security said in its report.
It urged app developers to provide opt-out controls for when ads appear outside the walls of the application and provide explicit notification if the ad network intends to collect personal data.
The Future of Privacy Forum urged app developers to provide “enhanced notice” if the application is collecting information that users might not expect and to give users choice and control over what they share.
