ACT
AFTER SPENDING THOUSANDS OF EUROS ATTEMPTING TO FILE PATENTS IN EUROPE AND HAVING LITTLE TO SHOW FOR IT, THE COMPANY FELT THAT PATENTING IN THE US WAS THE ONLY WAY FORWARD.
A beacon of hope in faltering economies, the industry will continue to add jobs and the demand for mobile applications shows no sign of abating. Indeed, there is no time like today to be a developer.
Helping new developers understand privacy
While the exponential growth of the mobile app market has been an incredible boon for software developers and the mobile platforms they are built on, the inexperience of many of these developers—combined with the early- stage nature of some of the technology—has led to too few developers understanding or employing best practices for privacy protection. At a time when 75 percent of mobile apps do not operate a privacy policy and children increasingly have access to tablet-style computers and smart phones, the issue needs immediate attention. ACT worked tirelessly to address this fundamental issue in 2011 and will continue to do so in 2012.
In both the EU and the US, 2011 marked the emergence of a huge policy debate around apps and privacy. Calls in Washington, DC, for the introduction of stringent regulations grew louder and ACT knew that app developers needed to be part of the debate, lest they have to deal with decisions that are made without them. ACT applauded the actions taken by Apple to encrypt location data and encouraged other companies, such as Google, to take consumer privacy seriously. During the last month of 2011, ACT executive director Morgan Reed addressed the MoDevEast developer conference and called on app makers to “check yourself before you wreck yourself ”. Discussing the importance of privacy and security, Reed alerted attendees to pending regulatory
www.worldipreview.com
actions that would affect the way they build apps, and offered suggestions on how best to serve customers’ privacy needs.
In 2011 ACT also set different priorities for ensuring greater privacy, starting with the development of tools that enable app developers of all sizes to embrace privacy by design and privacy policy best practices. ACT remains committed to finding practical solutions to privacy and data protection concerns and it hopes that policymakers worldwide share the association’s desire to make those solutions as accessible as possible to all players, be it large multinationals or SMEs.
Looking forward
What will 2012 look like for app developers? As the effect of mobile apps on people’s lives increases, so will calls for creating and strengthening regulations. It is essential that app developers are aware, responsible and respectful of the trust that is placed in them by consumers who surrender private information. It is equally important for policymakers to be mindful of who truly builds the apps consumers are using, and how the policies they craft will affect these small and micro enterprises. ACT looks forward to another year of interacting and debating, and contributing to the development of an environment where consumers are protected and innovative entrepreneurs are encouraged in their endeavours.
Jonathan Zuck is the president of the ACT. He can be contacted at:
jzuck@actonline.org
Mike Sax is chairman and founder of the ACT. He can be contacted at:
msax@actonline.org
World Intellectual Property Review e-Digest 2012 11
Jonathan Zuck is a professional soſtware developer and IT executive with more than 15 years of experience. Since assuming leadership of ACT, Zuck has provided analysis, commentary and background information on a wide range of technology issues to the media, the public and the US Congress. He served as director of technical services at the Spectrum Technology Group in Washington, DC, a consulting firm specialising in client/server, Internet and data warehouse solutions development.
Mike Sax leads the strategic direction and operational execution of
Sax.net, a leading provider of mobile applications that empower people to share information in a way that is mindful of their privacy and security. In 1998 he brought together a number of executives to create the ACT.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200 |
Page 201 |
Page 202 |
Page 203 |
Page 204 |
Page 205 |
Page 206 |
Page 207 |
Page 208 |
Page 209 |
Page 210 |
Page 211 |
Page 212 |
Page 213 |
Page 214 |
Page 215 |
Page 216 |
Page 217 |
Page 218 |
Page 219 |
Page 220 |
Page 221 |
Page 222 |
Page 223 |
Page 224 |
Page 225 |
Page 226 |
Page 227 |
Page 228 |
Page 229 |
Page 230 |
Page 231 |
Page 232 |
Page 233 |
Page 234 |
Page 235 |
Page 236 |
Page 237 |
Page 238 |
Page 239 |
Page 240 |
Page 241 |
Page 242 |
Page 243 |
Page 244 |
Page 245 |
Page 246 |
Page 247 |
Page 248 |
Page 249 |
Page 250 |
Page 251 |
Page 252 |
Page 253 |
Page 254 |
Page 255 |
Page 256 |
Page 257 |
Page 258 |
Page 259 |
Page 260 |
Page 261 |
Page 262 |
Page 263 |
Page 264 |
Page 265 |
Page 266 |
Page 267 |
Page 268 |
Page 269 |
Page 270 |
Page 271