Nearly 30 years ago, Apple Inc. ushered the Macintosh personal computer into the world with an award-winning commercial that alluded to George Orwell’s famous novel, “1984.” In the commercial, Apple portrayed its Macintosh computer as a means for saving humanity from “Big Brother.” Ironically, three decades later, many consumers and privacy advocates believe the mobile technology industry, largely dominated by Apple, has become the “Big Brother” of the digital age.
The amount of personal data transfers by corporations is truly mind-boggling. There are now more than 1 million mobile applications or “apps” available in the mobile marketplace that have been downloaded onto iPhones, iPads and smartphones more than 35 billion times. Mobile apps can track your whereabouts; access your photos, emails and text messages; monitor your preferences; and obtain contact information from your address book. This information is not only collected; it is often shared with third parties without consumers’ knowledge. According to recent reports, approximately 95 percent of all mobile apps lack a privacy policy. For those apps that do provide such policies, consumers must wade through a data dump of legalese that is anything but transparent. Consumer advocates note that many consumers end up hitting “accept” without reading the terms and conditions, giving mobile developers free access to their private information.
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