With the immense outgrowth of mobile platform in recent years, a number of questions have arisen over the issue of personal privacy of the users. For instance, millions are users are flocking to tablets and smartphone devices each month. And the highlight of both these platforms are the apps available for them. However, so far the most apps don’t have a privacy policy. Now, Google, Apple, Microsoft and three other major companies whose platforms have the largest number of apps have agreed to devise new privacy principles.
Problems arose specifically when an app gathers the personal information of a mobile user but does not specify through a privacy policy how will this information be used. As a result, a user is never sure of whether or not his information is secure and the app developers, consequently, can use or misuse this information.
But a lot of criticism from privacy rights activists and other have apparently led to a realization which has united together Google, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Research-In-Motion and Hewlett-Packard to agree that they have to protect the privacy of their users and therefore, should design privacy principles.
According to California Attorney General, “This agreement strengthens the privacy protections of California consumers and of millions of people around the globe who use mobile apps. By ensuring that mobile apps have privacy policies, we create more transparency and give mobile users more informed control over who accesses their personal information and how it is used.” This new agreement by these companies will bring the privacy policies of apps in line with the Californian law.
Image courtesy Phil.
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