FTC Urges Improvements in Mobile Privacy Disclosures
FTC hopes to build trust between app providers and mobile users through more transparent data practices.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has issued a report urging mobile operating system and mobile application developers to improve privacy disclosures to consumers. The report, titled “Mobile Privacy Disclosures: Building Trust Through Transparency,” offers recommendations for providing users with more information about data practices.
Substantial amounts of user data can be accessed from mobile devices through downloaded apps, giving rise to privacy concerns. A Pew Research Center study cited in the report indicates that “57% of all app users have either uninstalled an app over concerns about having to share their personal information or declined to install an app in the first place for similar reasons.”
This latest report, which follows the FTC’s “Privacy Report” detailing best practices for businesses to protect consumers’ privacy, provides specific recommendations aimed at application developers, operating system providers, advertising networks, and other third parties. Some of the FTC’s recommendations include:
- Providing just-in-time disclosures to consumers and obtain their consent before allowing apps to access sensitive content.
- Developing a one-stop “dashboard” approach to let consumers review the types of content accessed by apps.
- Developing icons to display the transmission of user data.
- Promoting app developer best practices.
- Consider offering a Do Not Track (DNT) mechanism for smartphone users, which would allow consumers to choose to prevent tracking by ad networks or other third parties.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 is Available
Linus Torvalds has announced that the latest kernel has been released with plenty of core improvements and even more hardware support.
-
Kali Linux 2025.3 Released with New Hacking Tools
If you're a Kali Linux fan, you'll be glad to know that the third release of this famous pen-testing distribution is now available with updates for key components.
-
Zorin OS 18 Beta Available for Testing
The latest release from the team behind Zorin OS is ready for public testing, and it includes plenty of improvements to make it more powerful, user-friendly, and productive.
-
Fedora Linux 43 Beta Now Available for Testing
Fedora Linux 43 Beta ships with Gnome 49 and KDE Plasma 6.4 (and other goodies).
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.