Only 20 percent of children’s apps disclose their data collection practices, a staff report from the Federal Trade Commission has uncovered.
Of those that did offer disclosures, the links provided were often long, technically-worded privacy policies “filled with irrelevant information,” the report found. Other apps, it said, gave ambiguous information about their practices.
“While we think most companies have the best intentions when it comes protecting kids’ privacy, we haven’t seen any progress when it comes to making sure parents have the information they need to make informed choices about apps for their kids,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz.
“In fact, our study shows that kids’ apps siphon an alarming amount of information from mobile devices without disclosing this fact to parents. All of the companies in the mobile app space, especially the gatekeepers of the app stores, need to do a better job.”
The FTC, which performed a similar study last year of both Android and iOS apps, said there has been precious little progress toward giving parents insight on what information is being collected from their children, how it is being shared and who will have access to it.
The report also found many of the apps connect to social media, sending information from mobile devices to ad networks, analytics companies, or other third parties, without disclosing these activities to parents.
“Most apps failed to provide any information about the data collected through the app, let alone the type of data collected, the purpose of the collection, and who would obtain access to the data,” the FTC said. “Even more troubling, the results showed that many of the apps shared certain information with third parties — such as device ID, geolocation, or phone number — without disclosing that fact to parents.
“Further, a number of apps contained interactive features – such as advertising, the ability to make in-app purchases, and links to social media – without disclosing these features to parents prior to download.”
The report also found:
- Fifty-eight percent of the apps reviewed contained advertising within the app, but only 15 percent revealed the presence of advertising prior to the app being downloaded.
- Twenty-two percent of the apps contained links to social networking services, but only nine percent divulged that information.
- Seventeen percent of the apps reviewed enable children to make purchases for virtual goods within the app, with prices ranging from 99 cents to $29.99. Although both stores provided certain indicators when an app contained in-app purchasing capabilities, these indicators were not always prominent and, even if noticed, could be difficult for many parents to understand.
The FTC is also suggesting the industry implement the following recommendations:
- Incorporating privacy protections into the design of mobile products and services;
- Offering parents easy-to-understand choices about the data collection and sharing through kids’ apps; and
- Providing greater transparency about how data is collected, used, and shared through kids’ apps.
The FTC is also launching an investigation to determine if “certain entities” are violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act or standards laid out in the Federal Trade Commission Act.
The FTC report can be downloaded here.
Post from: SiteProNews
