Technology news web site WebCrunch reports that research by Washington DC-based think tank Future of Privacy Forum showed that many app developers have introduced privacy policies not only for their applications but also for the use of their customers’ private data.

Children concerns

The report showed a huge leap in the percentage of free apps with privacy policies offered on Apple’s iOS app store, jumping from 40 per cent to 84 per cent. Paid apps with privacy policies increased from 60 per cent to 64 per cent. On Google’s rival Play platform, free apps with privacy policies increased from 70 per cent to 76 per cent, while paid apps shifted from 30 per cent to 48 per cent.
The main catalyst among several regulatory developments this year appears to be February’s Federal Trade Commission report, which revealed that many apps aimed at children lacked privacy policies.

Heeding the call

California Attorney General Kamala Harris has since reached an agreement with top companies concerning the State’s Online Privacy Protection Act – and companies now seem keen to implement farther reaching measures.
 ‘This study concludes that app developers have begun to heed the call for privacy policies,’ the report states. ‘Free apps are more likely to have been required by an ad network to disclose tracking practices,’ the authors conclude.