- From: Pat Walshe <PWalshe@gsm.org>
- Date: Fri, 8 Apr 2011 15:15:18 +0100
- To: Robin Berjon <robin@robineko.com>, Jules Polonetsky <julespol@futureofprivacy.org>
- CC: Karl Dubost <karld@opera.com>, "public-privacy (W3C mailing list)" <public-privacy@w3.org>
- Message-ID: <C9C4CF73.519E8%pwalshe@gsm.org>
Before I chip in, any views expressed by me are mine and not those of my employer. Like Jules, I am surprised that the well publicised app privacy issues remain a surprise. The issue of surreptitious access to device and user data by apps first emerged in the summer of 2009 by an iPhone app developer who set up i-phone-home.blogspot.com out of his concern over app permissions. The site is no longer active but a screen shot is attached from 2009. 'App privacy' has received and continues to receive global coverage so I fail to see how key ecosystem players are not aware of them? It's not privacy pros keeping it to themselves. Even the information commissioner in the UK issued a public warning that "users should not have their personal information collected unless they are aware of it" www.techeye.net/security/ico-issueswarning-over-iphone-apps The recent FTC report on consumer privacy mentioned smartphones over 37 times and expressly raised concerns and proposals over app privacy and app oba - key ecosystem players have responded to this report so again, I cant understand how this is not on key radars. Also, I spoke about these issues at the the W3C workshop held last July in London. It is a fact that users of smartphones sit a complex global web of relationships with app providers, app stores, browser vendors, advertisers and others. The only thing that appears consistent in this fragmented ecosystem is the lack of consistency in approaches to privacy - this does not seem to aid the development of ways in which users might be given clear, simple, context aware and device appropriate ways in which to be aware of the privacy implications of apps and to exercise choice and control in respect of access to and the use of their information. Here's a good example from 2009 of how privacy matters to consumers: http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=99AAA891-1A64-67EA-E4B0225F34268201 It seems clear to me that industry needs to come together on this or risk other stakeholders deciding what industry should do. just some thoughts. On 08/04/2011 10:39, "Robin Berjon" <robin@robineko.com> wrote: >On Apr 8, 2011, at 01:06 , Jules Polonetsky wrote: >> Pandora seems to be acting just like hundreds of other apps. An entire >>mobile ad network ecosystem is already built around such >>data...replicating the traditional ad network and data exchange system >>on the web. >> And although udids are used instead of cookies for tracking when third >>party cookies aren't available in the mobile environment (safari and >>apps) plenty of web sites or web advertisers pass their account IDs to >>web ad nets for reporting and analysis. >> Not justifying, just always surprised when the existence of an entire >>well publicized industry sector is news! > >Because it's only well-publicised to privacy advocates. No one else >knows. I've been describing this in every outreach or customer meeting >I've had over the past year or so, and people are at best surprised ‹ in >general they tend to not really believe it. I think that's part of the >problem. > >-- >Robin Berjon > robineko ‹ hired gun, higher standards > http://robineko.com/ > > > This email and its attachments are intended for the above named only and may be confidential. If they have come to you in error you must take no action based on them, nor must you copy or show them to anyone; please reply to this email or call +44 207 356 0600 and highlight the error.
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Received on Friday, 8 April 2011 14:33:16 UTC