The privacy commissioners for Canada, Alberta and British Columbia jointly issued a set of guidelines today to help mobile developers bake privacy protection into their apps.
The guidelines were released on the closing day of the 34thInternational Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissionersin Uruguay. They are designed to increase privacy protection for mobileapp users but could also give a competitive advantage to app developerswho incorporate them into the apps they design, the commissioners saidin a news release.
“Mobile app designers (can) set themselves apart by making user privacycentral in their design process,” the commissioners said.
They pointed to a recent study by the Pew Research Centre that found 57per cent of users had either dropped an app or avoided installing onedue to worries about how their personal information would be used.
The guidelines aren’t legallybinding, just suggested for app developers to follow. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Among the principles included in the full guidelines:developers are accountable under privacy laws, users must be informedabout how their personal information will be collected and used, usernotices must be given to users in a timely, clear and up front way.