Reuters: Technology News: FTC: mobile app disclosures should be simple, easy to read

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FTC: mobile app disclosures should be simple, easy to read Mar 13th 2013, 20:50 Tweet Share this Email Print Related News Google's Android chief Andy Rubin steps down 4:36pm EDT FTC eyes mobile, social media with latest online ad rules Tue, Mar 12 2013 Insight: On Facebook, app makers face a treacherous path Mon, Mar 11 2013 Facebook puts focus on photos in new look; may boost ads Thu, Mar 7 2013 Obama to name Edith Ramirez as FTC chief Thu, Feb 28 2013 Analysis & Opinion Counterparties: Misspent youth IA brief: If you haven't joined the social media bandwagon, you're not alone The Federal Trade Commission building is seen in Washington on March 4, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Gary Cameron WASHINGTON | Wed Mar 13, 2013 4:50pm EDT WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Developers of applications for mobile devices should make important disclosures easy for users to find rather than burying them, the Federal Trade Commission said in guidance for technology companies on Wednesday. The agency also reiterated that app developers should limit the information collected, store it carefully and dispose of it when it is no longer needed. By law, developers need parental permission to collect information on children, the FTC said. The commission, which enforces laws requiring advertising to be truthful and fair, warned in a short video that key disclosures about privacy and other matters should not be buried in long, hard-to-read legal documents. "If you make objective claims about your app you need solid proof to back them up before you start distributing it," said Laura Berger, an FTC attorney who narrated the video. Both Google's Android and Apple's app stores have hundreds of thousands of apps available for download. If advertising appears on an app for Twitter, Facebook or some other social media on a smartphone, necessary disclosures need to be placed close enough to the ad, or prominently enough, to ensure users see it, the FTC said. Given the limited space available on smartphone screens, that could be difficult, said one person familiar with the industry who asked not to be named for business reasons. "How can you get disclosures out in the new medium?" he asked. "Without a hyperlink or some other way to signal (a disclosure), you cannot get it onto a screen." In guidance for online platforms issued on Tuesday, the FTC had urged advertisers to avoid putting promotional messages on mobile and social media platforms like Twitter if the ads required disclosures. The FTC also discouraged the use of pop-ups for disclosures since they are so often blocked by users. (Reporting By Diane Bartz; Editing by Tim Dobbyn) Related Quotes and News Company Price Related News Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above.

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