Apperian in Wired Magazine: How the FTC’s Efforts to Protect Mobile Privacy Impact BYOD and MAM Programs

The regulatory arm of government continues to extend further and farther. The latest proposals involve the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which is calling upon various players in the mobile marketplace to provide clearer mobile privacy disclosures to consumers. As Apperian’s Alan Murray points out in a recent article for Wired Magazine; the mobile privacy disclosure efforts being espoused by the FTC are aimed squarely at protecting consumers and holding ad networks, app developers, and other mobile industry participants accountable. The FTC recommendations, though not yet binding, carry serious liability and security considerations for enterprise IT organizations that are involved in BYOD (bring your own device) and MAM (Mobile Application Management) programs. For instance; platform or operating system providers that haven’t already done so are being asked by the FTC to provide just-in-time disclosures to consumers and obtain their consent before allowing apps to access sensitive content such as geolocation data. For enterprise IT organizations that engage in BYOD and/or MAM programs will need to ascertain that enterprise apps – whether those are store-bought or developed in-house – adhere to the FTC regulations as all or part of the recommendations could become compulsory. For further information on what the FTC has in store, continue reading our Wired Magazine article.