Mobile Apps

Gender Matters in Identity Systems: How an ID4Africa Livecast Broke Important New Ground in Gender and Privacy 

Recently, ID4Africa held an extremely compelling and meticulously researched livecast on the issue of gender and identity systems, with good discussions that also touched on privacy in this context. The livecast boasted an excellent roster of experts, all of whom are active work in the field. Each presented well-substantiated, groundtruthed research and insight about the myriad ways that how identity systems mediate gender matter a great deal. The cumulative effect was eye-opening. 

United States' Postal Service "Informed Delivery" plan puts consumers at risk

The US Postal Service's new Informed Delivery system has the potential to impact every household in the United States that receives mail. It's important, and there are plenty of privacy issues. The World Privacy Forum wrote extensive comments to the United States Postal Service warning it about certain consumer privacy and security risks of its Informed Delivery service. Here's more information about Informed Delivery, and why it may create new phishing risks.

California consumers get new smartphone remote lock law, plus tips for iPhone users

California Governor Jerry Brown signed a new law today that requires smartphone phone manufacturers to put a “kill switch” (remote lock) in phones, and to turn it on by default. Lawmakers have stated that they see this as an important way to reduce smart phone crimes. For consumers, it’s a way to prevent our personal information from getting into the wrong hands when we misplace, lose, or otherwise are missing our smartphones. Apple users can already use Find My iPhone as a remote lock. See more ...

Consumer Alert: Be aware of unauthorized in-app charges

First, we heard about consumers saddled with unauthorized in-app purchases made by children via Apple's iTunes store apps. Now we are learning that Amazon account holders were also burdened with unauthorized in-app purchases by children, in this case, also to the tune of millions of dollars. It is worth taking the time to ensure children cannot ring up unlimited charges via apps. Using parental controls wisely can be a big help with this.... (Consumer tips)

Snapchat Settles FTC Charges; FTC says Snapchat transmitted user location and collected address books without notice or consent

Mobile messaging app Snapchat, which promised its users ephemeral, disappearing picture and video messages, has settled FTC charges that pics and videos sent through its app weren't as ephemeral as the company promised. According to the FTC, Snapchat transmitted users' location data, and collected users' address books without notice or ...

Mobil Privacy Summit

Learn to protect mobile users and build safe mobile apps at the Mobile Privacy Summit Oct. 23 in Los Angeles. The office of California Attorney General Kamala Harris and the Federal Trade Commission join WPF's Pam Dixon and other privacy experts to discuss best practices and regulatory requirements you should be aware of to ensure the privacy of mobile app users. Registration is free of charge.

Press Statement: WPF supports NTIA Short Form Notice Code of Conduct to Promote Transparency in Mobile App Practices

Statement of the World Privacy Forum Regarding U.S. Department of Commerce NTIA Short Form Notice Code of Conduct to Promote Transparency in Mobile Apps July 25, 2013 -- Washington, D.C. The World Priavcy Forum, after a year of hard work as a leading part of the core drafting group in ...

NTIA drafting process ongoing

Mobile Privacy -- The World Privacy Forum attended the NTIA Multistakeholder meeting as one of the core drafters of the code of conduct being considered by the NTIA Multistakeholder process. WPF and the other drafters are accepting comments from all stakeholders in preparation of the next iteration of the draft.

WPF urges stakeholders to put the consumer first, focus on what is important

Mobile privacy -- Mobile app privacy is the topic of the multistakeholder process to be undertaken this week under the direction of the US Department of Commerce. Over the weekend, a NYT article revealed that mobile carriers received more than 1.3 million requests by law enforcement for mobile data, including requests for text messages. This article is a focusing event. It is a reminder that in mobile privacy we need to put the consumer first, focus on what is important, and apply responsibility for privacy and transparency throughout the hierarchy of mobile players, from carriers to platforms to app stores to publishers to developers. It is unclear yet what segments of the hierarchy require what amounts of the burden, but what is clear is that carriers will certainly need to do a lot. It is also clear that the idea of just an icon on a screen to communicate the idea of mobile privacy to consumers is a band-aid approach at best when faced with the truth of where some of the real risks are for consumers.

WPF dialogues with App developers at Privacy Summit in Los Angeles, San Diego

Mobile Apps -- Pam Dixon will be speaking in the Privacy Summit Series in dialogue with the leading mobile app developers in Los Angeles and San Diego, both mobile app hotspots. The dialogues are part of a national series aimed at fostering a robust discussion between privacy experts and leading developers. The Los Angeles event is taking place June 5, the San Diego event is June 6.

Public Comments: April 2012 - WPF asks that the full Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights be applied to MS Process

WPF filed two sets of comments with the US Department of Commerce regarding the MultiStakeholder Process and the privacy topics to be taken up. The first set of comments were WPF's formal filing of the joint Civil Society MultiStakeholder Principles on behalf of WPF and the American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers' Union, Consumer Watchdog, Electronic Frontier Foundation, National Consumers' League, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, and US PIRG. The second set of comments were WPF's own comments to the Department. WPF urged the Department to employ a fair process, choose focused topics, and to apply the full range of the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights to each topic.

WPF files comments with US Department of Commerce; Asks that the full Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights be applied to MS Process

WPF comments on Multi-Stakeholder Process -- WPF filed two sets of comments with the US Department of Commerce regarding the MultiStakeholder Process and the privacy topics to be taken up. The first set of comments were WPF's formal filing of the joint Civil Society MultiStakeholder Principles on behalf of WPF and the American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers' Union, Consumer Watchdog, Electronic Frontier Foundation, National Consumers' League, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, and US PIRG. The second set of comments were WPF's own comments to the Department. WPF urged the Department to employ a fair process, choose focused topics, and to apply the full range of the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights to each topic.

Leading Civil Society Groups Agree on Key Principles: the Commerce Privacy Process Must be Fair, Transparent, Credible

MultiStakeholder Privacy Principles -- The World Privacy Forum has led an effort to craft a set of principles with the nation’s leading civil liberties, privacy, and consumer groups. Today, the groups are releasing a set of baseline Multi-Stakeholder Principles in response to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s plan for a multi-stakeholder process on privacy. (The U.S. Department of Commerce is undertaking a representative process for bringing together members of industry and civil society to form new privacy rules.) These leading groups believe that for the multi-stakeholder process to succeed, it must be representative of all stakeholders and must operate under procedures that are fair, transparent, and credible.

Public Comments: February 2012 - WPF asks that the full Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights be applied to MS Process (Principles for Multi-Stakeholder Process)

WPF filed two sets of comments with the US Department of Commerce regarding the MultiStakeholder Process and the privacy topics to be taken up. The first set of comments were WPF’s formal filing of the joint Civil Society MultiStakeholder Principles on behalf of WPF and the American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Digital Democracy, Consumer Action, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers’ Union, Consumer Watchdog, Electronic Frontier Foundation, National Consumers’ League, Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, and US PIRG. The second set of comments were WPF’s own comments to the Department. WPF urged the Department to employ a fair process, choose focused topics, and to apply the full range of the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights to each topic.

WPF Urges Fair Privacy Stakeholder Process

NTIA Multistakeholder Process -- The US Department of Commerce has announced that it is supporting privacy legislation and a "stakeholder process" to determine self regulatory rules for Internet privacy. WPF wrote about what a fair stakeholder process needs to include in our comments to the US Department of Commerce. We urge that at a minimum, the stakeholder process will include these items: 1) Consumer and business representation be equal in any multi-stakeholder process. 2) Approval of consumer representatives must be a necessary element in any formal decisions, just as the approval of business will be necessary. 3) Consumers must select their own representatives through a process yet to be determined, and consumer representatives may not be designated or limited by business or government. 4) Consumer organization that require financial assistance to participate in the multi- stakeholder process should receive support for travel and other expenses (but not for staff support). 5) Government agencies may participate in the process, but no agency may have a vote. 6) Participants in the process must chose their own rules and presiding officer. 7) Certifiers of accountability with codes of conduct should be not-for-profit organizations that are wholly independent of business, consumers, and government.