[telecom] Apple, Google and Others in Agreement on App Privacy

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Apple, Google and Others in Agreement on App Privacy

By NICOLE PERLROTH and NICK BILTON FEBRUARY 22, 2012

California's attorney general, Kamala D. Harris, said on Wednesday that the state had reached an agreement with Amazon.com, Apple, Google, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft and Research in Motion to strengthen privacy protections for smartphone owners who download mobile applications.

The agreement will force developers to post conspicuous privacy policies detailing what personal information they plan to obtain and how they will use it. It also compels app store providers like Apple and Google to offer ways for users to report apps that do not comply. The attorney general's office said developers who did not abide by their own privacy policies would face prosecution under California's Unfair Competition Law and False Advertising Law.

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