California Attorney General Reaches Deal on App Privacy

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris (D-CA) announced an agreement with Amazon, Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Research in Motion to strengthen privacy protections for smartphone owners who download mobile applications.

The agreement will force developers to post conspicuous privacy policies detailing what personal information they plan to obtain and how they will use it. It also compels app store providers like Apple and Google to offer ways for users to report apps that do not comply. In a statement, the attorney general’s office said developers who did not abide by their own privacy policies would face prosecution under California’s Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law. “Your personal privacy should not be the cost of using mobile apps, but all too often it is,” AG Harris said. Under the agreement, consumers will be able to review an app’s privacy policy, which will appear in a consistent location on the download screen, before they download it. Developers who do not comply can be prosecuted. Technology firms, as part of the agreement, said they would educate app developers about consumer privacy and “disclose to consumers what private information they collect, how they use the information and with whom they share it.” The tech firms also committed to creating online tools making it easier for consumers to report apps that are not compliant with state law.