Following from the revelation that iOS apps could easy gain access to contact lists and other personal data, the Office of the Attorney General for California has announced that Apple has signed up to new privacy policies and requirements for apps that they sell to access personal data (via MacRumors). The agreement, made by other companies such as Amazon, Google, Hewlett Packard, RIM and Microsoft, means that the policies of apps that collect private data can be seen more transparently prior to a user downloading an app from the App Store.
“The Act requires operators of commercial web sites and online services, including mobile apps, who collect personally identifiable information about Californians to conspicuously post a privacy policy. This agreement will allow consumers the opportunity to review an app’s privacy policy before they download the app rather than after, and will offer consumers a consistent location for an app’s privacy policy on the application-download screen”









