The announcement comes on the heels of the news that applications on smartphones routinely transmit people’s address book entries and other personal data, often without their knowledge. The practice came under scrutiny last week from members of Congress and the Federal Trade Commission, which regulates the use of consumer data on the Internet.
Google, which makes the Android operating system, requires developers to ask users upfront for permission to obtain their personal data, but users often are not told why developers need the data, how they plan to use it or how it will be stored. Likewise, Apple has said it prohibits and rejects any app that collects or transmits personal data without permission. But in practice, developers of some of the most popular applications for the iPhone, iPad and iPod have taken users’ contacts and transmitted them without consent.
In a statement, Ms. Harris’s office said that only 5 percent of mobile apps offer a privacy policy, leaving smartphone owners in the dark about what developers, advertisers and analytic services do with their “location, contacts, identity, messages and photos.”
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
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