Rep. Johnson Floats App Privacy Bill

Would require obtaining permission for data collection

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/18/2013 10:53:28 AM

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) has circulated a discussion draft of the Application Privacy, Protection and Security Act of 2013, which would require affirmative opt-ins for data collection.

The goal of the bill is to provide for more transparency, user control and security for user data collected by mobile applications by requiring clear notice of the terms of use, including any sharing of that data with third parties, and affirmative consent of the users, as well as a mechanism for withdrawing that consent that will stop the data collection.

The Federal Trade Commission would be authorized to establish via regulation the format, manner and timing of the notice.

There would be a safe harbor for app developers who agree to abide by a voluntary code of conduct if one is eventually produced through a multistakeholder process convened earlier this year by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration in an effort to flesh out the Administration's privacy bill of rights.

The White House has charged NTIA, its chief telecom policy adviser, with getting stakeholders together on a voluntary privacy bill of rights enforceable by the Federal Trade Commission.