The GSMA, which is the global trade body for the mobile phone industry, has recently published new privacy guidelines for mobile phone applications. Following consultation with industry stakeholders, regulators and civil society, the guidelines are an attempt to encourage a more consistent approach to user privacy across mobile platforms, applications and devices. This followed concern that some applications were using customer data without permission.
The guidelines apply privacy design principles to applications designed for mobile phones. They are intended to apply to all parties in the application or service delivery chain that are responsible for collecting and processing a user’s personal information. For example, the guidance recommends that users should know before they activate an application what personal information it will access and why, with whom it will be shared and for what purpose. In relation to social media, users must have the ability to delete their accounts resulting in complete removal of all personal information.
It remains to be seen at present how certain large corporates will respond to the use of the guidelines. Nevertheless they are a detailed and comprehensive resource for any app developers.
A copy of the guidelines can be accessed from the GSMA website
http://www.gsma.com/publicpolicy/privacy-design-guidelines-for-mobile-application-development/
For further information, please contact Beverley Flynn on beverley.flynn@stevens-bolton.com
Beverley Flynn