Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Cybersecurity

    Data Privacy ‘Nutrition Labels’ for Web Users Slow to Catch On

    By
    Robert Lemos
    -
    September 20, 2014
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Data Privacy Labels 2

      From pervasive data collection by the U.S. National Security Agency and other intelligence agencies to the leak of intimate photos and information on dozens of celebrities from Apple’s iCloud service, the privacy failings of the Internet have increasingly garnered the spotlight.

      While new products have reached the market aimed at helping privacy-conscious consumers better secure their data, another effort is focusing—not on new technology—but on policy and education.

      The nascent effort aims to improve privacy by notifying consumers using a short-form notice, also known as a privacy “nutrition label,” and it may get some much-needed momentum from the current focus on information-collection practices.

      First discussed more than a decade ago, short-form information-collection notices seek to clarify the privacy choices facing consumers. Last week, for example, security firm AVG launched its own short-form notices for its mobile products, using icons and simple statements to outline what data the company collects, what data it does not collect and with whom it shares information. The aim is to make consumers’ privacy choices more meaningful, Harvey Anderson, AVG’s chief legal officer, told eWEEK.

      “In general, the terms of service for most products and Websites are a race to the bottom,” he said. “Basically, they are saying that, if we give you this service for free, we can do what we want with your information.”

      While it is good that such arrangements leave open future business models, this type of language does not protect consumers, he said—especially because, unlike nutrition labels, privacy is not something that can be measured and quantified.

      “Privacy is not a thing; it is a quality,” he said. “And it is made up of these practices, and the practices vary widely.”

      AVG’s privacy notice for its mobile application is part of an effort to create easy-to-understand statements to help consumers make better choices. In July, Intuit and the Application Developers Alliance teamed up to release code for mobile application programmers to add the feature to their products.

      Yet, efforts to create more succinct and clear statements on information collection have generally not been widely adopted. A decade ago, Microsoft and other companies announced support for short-form notices on Websites to clearly state what consumer information the sites collect. In July 2013, the U.S. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a draft of the short-form privacy requirements for mobile applications created by the Multi-Stakeholder Process on Application Transparency.

      “The transparency created by displaying information about application practices in a consistent way as set forth in this code is intended to help consumers compare and contrast data practices of apps,” the guidelines state. “These short notices seek to enhance consumer trust in app information practices without discouraging innovation in mobile app notices or interfering with or undermining the consumer’s experience.”

      Yet, such efforts have not spurred adoption. Intuit’s repository for its open-source privacy notices on GitHub, for example, shows hardly any activity. AVG hopes that its focus on security and privacy will spread through the industry. In five years, most developers will likely include the notices, Anderson said.

      “The ideas have been percolating for a while,” he said. “The way I think about this is that this is an evolutionary step.”

      Robert Lemos
      Robert Lemos is an award-winning freelance journalist who has covered information security, cybercrime and technology's impact on society for almost two decades. A former research engineer, he's written for Ars Technica, CNET, eWEEK, MIT Technology Review, Threatpost and ZDNet. He won the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 2003 for his coverage of the Blaster worm and its impact, and the SANS Institute's Top Cybersecurity Journalists in 2010 and 2014.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×