Regulatory bodies continue to place a premium on privacy expectations from mobile apps, websites, software, etc. To protect their customers’ privacy and their company’s image, these companies do all they can to adhere to the stipulations of privacy laws.
Companies often think the most crucial thing to secure user privacy is to get legal help for drafting their privacy policies and use an online generator or a privacy policy maker. Yet, forming new policies is not always the way to secure customer privacy. Hence, we will highlight other elements you should use or steps to take to secure users’ privacy.
1. Being Human First
How would you feel if you told someone your deepest secrets and they went on to inform everyone in their lives? Your company needs user data to thrive, but it will be unfair to share those data indiscriminately.
Think about whether it is worth sharing user data with other entities like government, police, etc. Financial gains and other benefits should not push you to act against the safety of your users. Even though you use AI models to generate data, you can always curate what they do as humans (the app owner).
2. Halt Using Trackers
Users can be at fault for oversharing on the internet, posing threats to their privacy. Yet, apps still place those who lead private lives on the internet under close surveillance. If your app must use trackers, it must minimize the volume of data it harvests from users. Quit collecting even the tiniest data about what they do online.
It is unfair to gather information unknown to your user about what they purchase online, other apps they use, what they do on those apps, how long they stay there, etc. Be open with users about the kind of data you collect from them. Do not go undercover to steal data from your app users.
3. Adhering to your App Privacy Policy
One of the ways your mobile app can maintain its users’ privacy of data is by adhering to what is outlined in its privacy policy. Your privacy policy is not a document you draft to have one or escape regulatory bodies’ wrath. Alike, it is not just a piece of information you share with users to digest.
Everyone in charge of your mobile app must see the privacy policy as a rule book. To ease adherence to its stipulations, refrain from promising what you can’t deliver to your users. Similarly, review your privacy policy regularly to refresh your memory about what you guarantee so that you can act accordingly.
4. Challenge Warrants
Governments and certain bodies like law enforcement understand that mobile apps control a large database of customer data. So they can use these data to gain intelligence like location, last time active on an app, IP address, etc., on suspects of certain crimes.
For instance, the government of the United States often gathers user data from tech companies. As powerful as governments could be, you should not hand over the data of your app users to them. Instead, challenge their warrants if you need to.
Apple displayed something similar when the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) failed to create a security loophole in an iPhone. This loophole was meant to help them get information from a criminal’s iPhone. Though the refusal raised some specks of dust, Apple maintained that it took that step because it was committed to the security of its customers.
Following this request, Apple devised a means that prevented outsiders from accessing an iPhone user’s data through their device’s lightning port. The port would shut off the iPhone owner’s data after an hour. Besides, after one hour, the device would no longer be susceptible to intrusion through the lightning port.
5. Invest In Data Protection
Protecting user data outweighs creating new policies or updating old ones. Therefore, your app must commit some money to hire a data protection officer, train all staff, and get facilities to protect user data.
Get firewalls, buy antivirus software, encrypt external storage devices, encrypt passwords, use trusted cloud services, etc. Also, ensure to update your software regularly.
Data privacy is a big deal. One of the reasons to maintain customer privacy is to secure them from cybersecurity issues. However, protecting customer data surpasses forming new privacy policies for customers to read, which your company might even pay no attention to.
Non-adherence to privacy laws can cause huge consequences. We can save your app from the embarrassment it brings. We can get you set up, and you’ll lead your industry.
