The head trade association for the mobile industry worldwide, the Mobile Marketing Association, has announced that it has released a document called the “MMA Mobile Application Privacy Policy” , for public comment. It contains the first-ever set of guidelines for the basic data processes and privacy issues pertaining to mobile apps.
According to Greg Stuart, the CEO of MMA Global, the guidelines issued by the organization for public comment will address an urgent requirement for all businesses that are active in the mobile marketing industry. They are meant to offer methods of providing the developers of mobile apps with policy language that is both clear and transparent and that the consumer can access and understand very quickly.
He added that “Today’s release is the first in series of privacy policy guidelines that the MMA will create with the input of industry leaders across the mobile ecosystem.”
The guidelines laid out by the MMA addressed several primary concerns, including:
• Methods of providing users with a description of how data is being collected and used.
• Guidance for developers regarding basic principles for privacy and language that is consumer-friendly.
• Direction regarding confidentiality and security of information.
App developers should consider privacy policies to be a vital tool for consumer disclosure. They are not meant to be a cookie-cutter document, but should instead be customized so that every jurisdiction and company’s needs have been met by them. In this light, the MMA is encouraging app developers to obtain guidance and recommendations with their legal counsel as they design their own guidelines for this reason.