FTC Pushes Tougher Privacy Rules for Mobile Apps

The FTC says it's going to get tougher on mobile apps that invade user's online privacy. New agency guidelines call for a "do-not-track" feature on apps and software for phones and tablets, reports the New York Times. The FTC also fined the social networking app Path $800,000 after accusing it of taking personal information from kids' address books, including phone numbers, user names for other accounts, and birth dates. The Times sees the combined actions as a "strong move" toward mobile privacy.

“We‘ve been looking at privacy issues for decades,” says FTC chairman Jon Leibowitz. “But this is necessary because so much commerce is moving to mobile, and many of the rules and practices in the mobile space are sort of like the Wild West.” (More FTC stories.)