FCC Told That App Developers Lack Incentives To Protect Privacy

Privacy advocates as well as some companies have long expressed support for "baseline" privacy legislation modeled on fair information practices principles. While details of exact proposals vary, many proponents say that at a minimum, companies should make clear what information is gathered and why, and allow consumers to decide whether they're willing to agree to the data collection. Online ad companies have tended to oppose new laws, arguing that they already voluntarily notify consumers about privacy issues and allow them to opt out of the use of their data (though not its collection).
Now that smartphone apps have become more popular, and drawn more scrutiny, however, it's clear that many -- perhaps most -- of the companies collecting data about mobile users don't inform them about information-gathering techniques or about how that data is shared. A study by the Future of Privacy Forum found that 22 of the top 30 apps lack privacy policies; other studies have shown that many apps transmit data about users, including their devices' unique identifiers.