Mobile App Series: Privacy by Design
Report on Patient Privacy Volume 23, no 1 (January 2023) The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said a data breach at a Medicare subcontractor impacted the personally identifiable information and protected...more
In July 2022, the FTC brought an enforcement action to enjoin Meta’s acquisition of virtual reality app maker Within. The FTC’s approach in that complaint could have implications for Microsoft’s proposed acquisition of...more
If your company creates health-related apps, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has set out some key considerations: - Make accurate representations. Clearly explain how people’s information will be used and shared and then...more
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) adopted a policy statement on Sept. 15, 2021, emphasizing that developers of digital health apps, connected devices and other health products have obligations under the Health Breach...more
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans have increasingly relied on digital health apps to manage their personal health and wellness. These apps include traditional telehealth apps through which patients can complete...more
In August, Viacom and a number of other app developers and ad-tech companies reached a settlement with parents who had alleged that the companies were illegally selling children’s personal information for behavioral...more
Facebook announced on September, 20th, that it has suspended tens of thousands of apps from interoperating with the Facebook platform alleging misuse of Facebook members’ personal data. This is a continuation of the Cambridge...more
The Federal Trade Commission on October 23, 2017, provided guidance on how it will enforce the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) with respect to audio recordings of children. This comes as part of a wave of...more
This month, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued guidance on privacy and security best practices for health-related mobile apps, such as fitness apps connected with wearables, diet and weight loss apps, and health...more
As regulators seek to define their authority and the scope of their enforcement power, more health apps will continue to flood the marketplace and transform how patients are treated. As mobile health applications...more
Consider this: A 42-year-old man arrives at the emergency room showing signs of a heart attack. The ER doctors, using the patient’s activity tracker—in this case, a Fitbit® —are able to pinpoint when the patient’s normal...more
The Federal Trade Commission furthered its outreach to the mobile app developer community last week by issuing new guidance for integrating privacy and security into mobile health apps, as well as an interactive online tool...more
While attending the International Association of Privacy Professionals annual global event, and listening to Chairwoman Edith Ramirez discuss the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) concerns about consumer privacy, the FTC, the...more
FCC Releases Privacy Regime for ISPs - Creating a storm of controversy, the Federal Communications Commission released information about its privacy proposal for Internet service providers. Pursuant to the plan,...more
On March 17, 2016, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced it had issued warning letters to twelve application (“app”) developers who installed in their apps software created by the company SilverPush that is capable...more
Similar to website browsers, many mobile applications collect a variety of information from the user, including, the user’s identity, usage history, past log-ins, and location. This enables the application to provide various...more
The COPPA Rule requires website and online service operators to give notice to parents and obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting children’s “personal information” online. 16 CFR §§ 312.4, 312.5. The...more
Eleventh Circuit Rejects Application of VPPA to Free App - The latest decision interpreting the application of the Video Privacy Protection Act in the context of twenty-first century technology provides positive news for...more
FTC Reviews Kids’ Apps for Privacy Progress - Three years after conducting a survey on apps directed to children, the Federal Trade Commission’s Office of Technology Research and Investigation decided to check back with...more
Many telehealth and mHealth app developers are concerned about whether or not their app is a medical device under FDA regulations (and rightfully so), they often pay less attention to the Health Insurance Portability and...more
A new Federal Trade Commission report urges mobile app platforms and developers to better inform consumers about their privacy practices. Mobile app platforms and developers should review their privacy policies to ensure...more
A weekly wrap up of interesting news about virtual worlds, virtual goods and other social media. In This Issue: - Path Inc. to Settle Charges Over Collecting Kids' Data - Feds Urge App Makers, Mobile Operating...more
App providers and developers are in the hot seat again. On the same day that the FTC fined the social networking app Path $800,000 over allegations that it collected personal information without obtaining consumers’ consent,...more
The Federal Trade Commission has emphasized in the past that general privacy protections in the website space apply equally to mobile services, but a new FTC Staff Report released on Friday hones in on some privacy...more
Data use and sharing disclosures on mobile devices need work, the FTC said in a staff report released last week. The report recommends ways that actors in the mobile marketplace—such as mobile operating system providers,...more