The Information Commissioner’s Office has urged citizens that, while lengthy and labyrinthine data-usage documents may be ‘overwhelming’, it is important that they are read and understand before consent is given
Data watchdog the Information Commissioner’s Office has made a public call encouraging citizens to read the privacy notices of apps and online services – with the warning “don’t press ‘agree’ unless you do”.
Such notices can run to many pages, covering hundreds of organisations and planned uses of data. The ICO acknowledged that “we know these can be overwhelming, and it is far too easy to just click ‘agree’ when installing a new app”.
“But signing up to an app often involves handing over large amounts of your sensitive personal information, especially with apps that support our health,” the regulator added.
The ICO last year undertook a review of period and fertility apps in which it worked with both software companies and individual users to ascertain whether the programs are “processing people’s personal information responsibly”.
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While that assessment did not uncover any “serious compliance issues or evidence of harms”, the watchdog took used the exercise as an opportunity to provide “a reminder to all app developers about the importance of protecting users’ personal information”.
Now users are being similarly reminded of steps they can take to ensure that their personal information is not used in unwanted ways. The ICO has created a collection of brief videos, which it will share via its social media channels in the coming days to provide guidance for users of various types of app, including those focused on periods and fertility.
The data regulator has also advised citizens to “ask yourself these key questions when signing up to an app: is the privacy notice clearly written and easy to understand? Will they delete your data when you don’t want to use the app anymore? What measures do they have in place to prevent hackers from accessing your personal information? Who are they sharing your information with? Are you happy with where your personal information could end up?”
“Any organisation that values your privacy will make its privacy notice easy to understand and clearly set out how it will use your personal information,” the ICO added. “Remember – you are in control, so don’t press ‘agree’ unless you do.”