Consumer Watchdog and the Consumer Federation of America...

approach to” the “urgent problem” surrounding mobile apps and the users that “lack basic rights with respect to the data that may be collected about them,” CFA Director of Consumer Protection Susan Grant said. “By requiring app developers to give consumers information about what personal data is collected, how it is used, with whom it is shared, and how long it is kept, and to obtain their consent, this legislation would ensure that consumers can make truly informed decisions before they download apps” and “give consumers control over their data if they decide that they no longer wish to use an app,” she said. In a separate statement, Consumer Watchdog Privacy Project Director John Simpson called the bill “a significant and important step forward in protecting consumers’ privacy” because it “will give consumers the ability to understand what happens to their data and some control over its use.” Grant and Simpson are participants in the mobile privacy multistakeholder process being facilitated by the NTIA. App developers that sign onto the process’s resulting code of conduct would be granted safe harbor under the bill.