Privacy Multistakeholder Process: Mobile Application Transparency

November 12, 2013

Upcoming Meetings Schedule

None scheduled at this time.

Background

On February 23, 2012, the White House released Consumer Data Privacy in a Networked World: A Framework for Protecting Privacy and Promoting Innovation in the Global Digital Economy (the ‘‘Privacy Blueprint’’). The Privacy Blueprint establishes a Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights and directs NTIA to convene multistakeholder processes to develop legally enforceable codes of conduct that specify how the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights applies in specific business contexts.

NTIA’s role in the privacy multistakeholder process is to provide a forum for discussion and consensus-building among stakeholders. When stakeholders disagree over how best to interpret the Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights, NTIA’s role, as explained in the Privacy Blueprint, is to ‘‘help the parties reach clarity on what their positions are and whether there are options for compromise toward consensus, rather than substituting its own judgment.’’ Stakeholder groups convened to develop codes of conduct are not advisory committees, as neither NTIA nor any other Federal agency or office seeks consensus advice or recommendations on policy issues from participants in the privacy multistakeholder process.

This web page provides details on the NTIA-convened privacy multistakeholder process regarding mobile application transparency. On July 12, 2012, NTIA convened the first meeting of the privacy multistakeholder process; the intent of the first process is to develop a code of conduct that enhances transparency in how companies providing applications and interactive services for mobile devices handle personal data. On July 25, 2013, the stakeholder group agreed to stop drafting and begin reviewing, testing, and implementing the code of conduct.

The July 25, 2013 version of the code of conduct is available here.

On July 25, 2013, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Lawrence E. Strickling said, “NTIA is pleased that today a diverse group of stakeholders reached a seminal milestone in the efforts to enhance consumer privacy on mobile devices. We encourage all the companies that participated in the discussion to move forward to test the code with their consumers. I want to congratulate all of the participants, who through their commitment and dedication have demonstrated the promise and importance of the multistakeholder policy-making process."

Stakeholder Statements

The following are links to statements from participants in the privacy multistakeholder process regarding mobile application transparency.

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Application Developers Alliance (ADA)

The Association for Competitive Technology (ACT 4 Apps)

California Office of the Attorney General

Center for Democracy and Technology (CDT)

Center for Digital Democracy (statement)

Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA)

Consumer Action

Consumer Federation of America

Consumer Watchdog