On September 5, 2012, the Federal Trade Commission published “Marketing Your Mobile App: Get It Right from the Start“, a set of guides addressing compliance with truth in lending and privacy principles for mobile app developers. Disclosures and privacy protection for mobile apps is a major issue and the FTC’s guidance is important. In their summary, the FTC provided an overview that advised that app developers:

  • Tell the Truth About What Your App Can Do
  • Disclose Key Information Clearly and Conspicuously
  • Build Privacy Considerations in From the Start
  • Offer Choices that are Easy to Find and Easy to Use
  • Honor Your Privacy Promises
  • Protect Kids’ Privacy
  • Collect Sensitive Information Only with Consent
  • Keep User Data Secure

Pretty basic stuff, but the reminders from the FTC are well taken and should be carefully digested by anyone in the mobile app business, whether they’re developers or marketers. For a copy of the full publication, click here.