MMA releases final privacy policy guidelines for mobile apps

The completed guidelines incorporate industry input received during a public comment period, 17 October - 18 November 2011.

"Mobile app developers asked for clear, transparent policy language that consumers can quickly and fully understand," says MMA global CEO Greg Stuart. "Today's release, the first in a series of privacy policy guidelines that the MMA is creating with input from industry leaders, gives the app development community the meaningful support they need."

The guidelines address key issues including:

• Annotated guidance on core privacy principles and consumer-friendly language for developers to consider using
  
• Ways to inform users on how data is obtained and used
  
• Guidance on security and confidentiality of information

"Privacy policies are a key consumer disclosure tool for app developers and important to establishing and maintaining consumer trust," said Alan Chapell, co-chair of the MMA Privacy & Advocacy Committee. "Our guidelines offer developers the foundation from which to craft a document that reflects the privacy practices of each of their apps and helps them stay in compliance with applicable law and industry standards. We urge app developers to consult with their legal counsel when adapting these guidelines for their purposes."

The MMA Mobile Application Privacy Policy was created by the MMA Privacy & Advocacy Committee - co-chaired by Alan Chapell, president of Chapell & Associates, and Fran Maier, president of TRUSTe - in response to the massive upsurge in mobile app popularity among smartphone users and mobile marketers. There are now billions of apps downloaded per year; as of June 2011, over 425 000 individual apps were available via the Apple App Store and more than 200 000 were available for Android devices.

Go to the MMA Mobile Application Privacy Policy Framework to view the final guidelines.