I'd love to take credit for the fact that just two weeks after my story on how mobile online advertisers are compiling detailed profiles of us through our smartphone apps, the FTC has released a report stuffed with recommendations as to how mobile platform companies, app developers, and advertisers can "improve mobile privacy disclosures." But the truth is the FTC has been focused on the issue for years -- and understandably so, since the cutting edge of privacy is now in our pockets.
… Read MoreFirst, more than other types of technology, mobile devices are typically personal to an individual, almost always on, and with the user. This can facilitate unprecedented amounts of data collection. The data collected can reveal sensitive information, such as communications with contacts, search queries about health conditions, political interests, and other affiliations, as well as other highly personal information.8 This data also may be shared with third parties, for example, to send consumers behaviorally targeted advertisements.