This week, ACT kicks off a series of coast privacy education events for app developers. We will feature at a number of privacy conferences and host boot camps to help app makers identify best practices to meet consumers’ privacy expectations.

On Wednesday, ACT chairman and iOS developer, Mike Sax, will speak in Palo Alto at the App Developer Summit on location privacy. The same day in Los Angeles, I will appear at the Digital Kids Conference alongside California Special Assistant Attorney General for Technology, Travis LeBlanc, and FTC Consumer Protection Bureau Counsel, Kenneth Abbe. Having testified before Congress five times over the past year on privacy while engaging the White House and FTC on this issue, ACT is uniquely qualified to inform the app developer community about the government’s intention to regulate this space.

As an association created by app developers for app developers, we travel around the country to share what we have learned about the federal government’s plans to regulate our industry. Importantly, we offer a plan of action in response. Overwhelmingly, app developers want to do the right thing on user privacy, and they are undertaking efforts to improve transparency and inform users about the use of their data. At our privacy boot camp events in Silicon Valley and Seattle, we will work directly with developers to create privacy policies, implement privacy by design, and provide guidance on existing regulations.

We are also bringing app developers from across the country to Washington, DC for over one hundred Congressional meetings to caution lawmakers about the negative impact that hasty regulatory action could have in the app industry. This marketplace is less than four years old and we are still discovering new business models. Attempts to restrict app makers would likely involve unintended consequences that could disrupt the growth of the app ecosystem, one of the fastest growing segments of our economy.

ACT will feature at the following events and will conduct its Washington, DC developer Fly-In May 6-8.

April 25: Digital Kids Conference (Los Angeles)
April 25: Application Developers Summit (Palo Alto)
April 27: Silicon Valley Apps for Kids: Hands On Privacy Workshop (Silicon Valley)
May 15-16: Privacy Identity Innovation Conference (Seattle)

ACT’s Jonathan Godfrey is moderating a panel today at the Austin tech convention, South by Southwest. Selected from thousands of applicants, the panel “Can Washington Make Your App Illegal” addresses widespread concern about potential future regulation of the app industry. Godfrey is joined by Mike Sax of Asigo and Ahmed Siddiqui of Go Go Mongo and Startup Week. A number of presentations in Austin have focused on the unintended negative impact that government intervention may have on the app industry.

Pose your questions to the panelists through twitter using the hashtag, #sxillegalapp

Today’s survey by the FTC raised the same concerns that ACT has shared in our Congressional testimony on mobile app privacy. Many children’s education app developers are unaware of existing privacy regulations and how they may be interpreted to prevent seemingly innocuous features. ACT has traveled across the country to meet with app developer groups like Moms with Apps to explain how privacy laws apply to them and to suggest best practices for protecting child privacy online. We have found that the overwhelming majority of those making 99 cent apps for kids do so to help their own children learn and with a desire to help others learn. There is certainly a need to protect children’s privacy online and a broader education effort is necessary to inform well-meaning developers of the precautions they should take. ACT is committed to working with the FTC and our 4,000 members to expand these education efforts. We should ensure that the parents buying these apps for their children can be as confident in the safety of their privacy as are the parents who made the apps.

While this is a report on app disclosure policies, and does not examine whether any consumer information is being used, it does highlight areas for improvement that ACT has long endorsed. Primarily, app developers must strive for transparency to let users know whether and how they use their information. While many children’s app developers don’t collect information or use ads, we believe that conveying this information in an easy to read privacy policy helps consumers and assures them of the safety of their data. We also believe that while the overwhelming majority of children’s app makers are well-intentioned, if there are those who operate with malice outside the law, we fully endorse regulatory action by the FTC. As it has shown in the Playdom and Broken Thumbs Apps, the Commission is well-empowered to bring enforcement actions against transgressors large and small.

ACT member group Moms with Apps was profiled by the Wall Street Journal this afternoon for their work on kids education apps. The Journal also highlighted the tremendous organizational work by Lorraine Akemann who heads the group and works to keep her members informed about best practices. Lorraine used the article to tell the story about the efforts of communities like hers to self-police and educate. Moms with Apps members have come to DC to educate Congress about the app industry and their efforts to make their membership aware of online privacy regulations and how to ensure compliance.