Ossian Law IT Alert: July 1, 2013
Protecting Data Collected on Mobile Devices
The federal Communications Act requires traditional telecommunication providers to protect certain consumer information such as call logs, call duration and phone numbers. This type of data is referred to as Customer Proprietary Network Information or CPNI.
On June 27, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a declaratory ruling that telecommunications providers must also protect CPNI collected on wireless devices, including location information about where a call starts and ends. The FCC ruling specifies that data collected by pre-installed applications is also subject to protection under the law.
Expressly not covered under the Act is data collected by providers of third party applications that consumers add to their devices. The FCC doesn’t regulate data collected by mobile app providers that are not also telecommunications providers.
Another federal agency, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), has focused on the privacy issues relating to mobile apps. The FTC encourages mobile app developers and providers to focus on security and to offer robust privacy disclosures. The agency also offers advice to consumers on how to keep their personal information safe while using mobile apps.
The FCC’s declaratory ruling may be found here.
More information on the FTC’s position on mobile applications is available here.
Contact us at Ossian Law P.C. regarding social media law or any other information technology law question.