Mobile App Designers Rewarded for Commitment to Privacy Innovation

LONDON, May 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TRUSTe, the leading global data privacy management company, today announced a partnership with the 2014 UK Mobile & App Design Awards, to champion mobile privacy best practice within the industry. The Awards are part of a global Grand Slam series including participants from UK, U.S., Asia and Australia, which recognises innovation and design within the mobile app ecosystem. As part of this partnership, for the first time ever, privacy will be an entry requirement for all award submissions in the UK awards and the US awards later this year.

In today's market, developers race to bring innovative applications to market to draw in consumers, build engagement with diverse audiences and drive new streams of revenue for business using the vast amount of data available from mobile users. However, app developers have to balance this pressure with growing consumer privacy concerns (76% of smartphone users will not download an app they don't trust) and increased regulator scrutiny.

This week the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN) is conducting its second annual international enforcement sweep from 12 to 18 May 2014 reviewing how mobile apps deal with the collection and use of personal data and protect consumer privacy.  GPEN members include 27 privacy and enforcement authorities from across the globe including the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). 

Rich Qiu, Vice President Mobile & Business Development at TRUSTe said:

"App designers are on the privacy front line balancing the need to bring innovative applications to market with meeting global compliance requirements and addressing growing consumer concerns about downloading and sharing personal information with apps.

"As the enforcement spotlight falls on mobile apps this week, this groundbreaking new partnership with the App Design Awards pushes privacy up the agenda for designers and rewards those who are already ahead of the pack."

Mark Bergin, Chair of the UK Mobile & App Design Awards commented:

"TRUSTe represents the values of trust and privacy across the online community. Without an underlying trust framework we would be unable to celebrate the courage of clients to commission projects, the creative that delivers the outcomes and the customers that take the opportunity to explore new tools. We look forward to working with TRUSTe to expand the use of best practice and champion the cause of privacy."

This partnership supports recent initiatives from regulators to work with app developers to understand and implement mobile privacy best practice. In the EU in February 2013, the Article 29 Working Party adopted its Opinion on Apps on Smart Devices and last December the UK ICO published Guidelines for Mobile App Developers. In the U.S., the Digital Advertising Alliance spearheads a self-regulatory program to protect consumer data in online advertising and has issued specific Online Behavioral Advertising guidelines for the mobile environment and in California, home to Silicon Valley - the center of technology innovation, the Attorney General office has issued in-depth privacy recommendations for the entire mobile ecosystem.

Joanne McNabb, Director of Privacy Education and Policy at the California Attorney General's Office welcomed the partnership saying:

"With the addition of privacy as a factor, the Mobile & App Design Awards can serve as a catalyst that speeds up the process of building privacy into the design of mobile apps. I look forward to seeing some exciting privacy innovations."

Entries to the 2014 UK Mobile & App Design Awards close on 28 May 2014. The winners will be announced in an Awards Ceremony on 18 June 2014 as part of the first London Technology Week. Privacy will also be a requirement for all entries in the 2014 US Mobile & App Design Awards taking place later this year.

About TRUSTe

TRUSTe is the leading global Data Privacy Management (DPM) company and powers trust in the data economy by enabling businesses to safely collect and use customer data across web, mobile, cloud and advertising channels. Our cloud-based Data Privacy Management Platform delivers innovative technology products, including website monitoring and advertising compliance controls – along with privacy assessments and certifications. More than 5,000 companies worldwide rely on our DPM platform and globally recognized Certified Privacy Seal to protect/enhance their brand, drive user engagement and minimise compliance risk. For more information, please see http://www.truste.com 

About the UK Mobile & App Design Awards

The UK Mobile & App Design Awards are part of a global Grand Slam Series where Apps from UK, USA, Asia and Australia compete. Awards covering over 30 categories provide recognition across the App design spectrum and are a unique opportunity to see the best start-ups, digital agencies and enterprise teams compete in local markets. The Awards are run by design100, the leading global forum for applied design, accelerating the transformation to a design-led marketplace.

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SOURCE TRUSTe

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