[telecom] California sues Delta for failing to put privacy policy on mobile app

California sues Delta for failing to put privacy policy on mobile app

Attorney general is seeking to enforce state's Online Privacy Protection Act.

by Timothy B. Lee Ars Technica Dec 6 2012

Delta Airlines is the first target of California regulators, who are enforcing a state law requiring mobile app developers to disclose information about their privacy policies. California attorney general Kamala Harris has sued the airline in San Francisco Superior Courts, saying it is not in compliance with the Online Privacy Protection Act. That legislation, enacted by the California legislature in 2003, requires app developers to conspicuously display a privacy policy describing what personally identifiable information is collected by the app and how that information will be used.

Delta offers the "Fly Delta" app, which allows users to check in to their flights, rebook flights, pay for checked baggage, and perform a variety of other tasks. But what it doesn't do, according to the attorney general's office, is give the user easy access to the airline's privacy policy. Delta does have a privacy policy on its website. But Harris says that policy does not mention the "Fly Delta" app and is not "reasonably accessible" to users of the app.

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Reply to
Monty Solomon
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The US is pretty lax in its privacy laws. There are a few areas where they're strict, such as medical records (HIPAA); I also recall a law passed a decade or so ago protecting video rental and cable viewership info. I'm not sure about credit card info -- PCI compliance is an industry standard, but I don't think it's government-mandated.

So rather than imposing strict privacy standards, we just require everyone to disclose their privacy policies. Then we leave it up to the free market -- if you don't like a company's policies, don't do business with them.

That's ridiculous. Disclosure is all about what you're allowing them to do, not requiring them.

Reply to
Barry Margolin

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