WASHINGTON, DC – The Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) announced that it has finalized the 2013 Mobile Application Code, which expands the organization’s self-regulatory program to cover data collected across mobile applications.
The Mobile Application Code is substantially based on the 2013 Code of Conduct, but is designed to provide both high standards and maximum flexibility in the rapidly developing mobile advertising ecosystem. The new guidelines address data collected across mobile applications and best practices for the treatment of precise location data and personal directory data. The Mobile Application Code is intended to complement existing mobile initiatives across the industry, such as those being developed by the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA), the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), by providing rigorous notice, choice and data protection guidelines specific to the third-party advertising ecosystem.
Specifically, the Mobile Application Code provides guidance on how third-party advertising companies should address mobile-specific concerns, such as providing enhanced notice on small screens and providing adequate notice and choice for the use of precise location and other forms of mobile-specific data. Uniquely, the NAI Mobile Application Code is backed by the NAI’s robust compliance and accountability program, and provides strong transparency and control requirements for the use of sensitive data, including health-related information. NAI staff has begun working with members to implement tools and policies that allow for industry-leading compliance monitoring.
The Mobile Application Code draft was released during the NAI’s Annual Member Summit in May.
“It’s imperative that the rigorous standards that we hold ourselves to online carry over to the mobile environment,” said Douglas Miller, vice president and global privacy leader for AOL and NAI board of directors chairman. “The goal of the NAI’s Mobile Application Code is to begin laying the groundwork for privacy and data best practices as new technologies and business models are introduced in the rapidly evolving mobile advertising ecosystem.”
Alan Chapell, president of Chapell and Associates and vice-chairman of the NAI board of directors, added, “As media spend continues to shift toward mobile, the NAI is taking a leadership role to ensure that advertising technology intermediaries embrace robust self regulation that addresses the unique challenges of the mobile advertising marketplace.”
The final 2013 Mobile Application Code can be found here: http://www.networkadvertising.org/mobile/NAI_Mobile_Application_Code.pdf.
About the NAI
Founded in 2000, the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) is the leading self-regulatory association comprised exclusively of third-party digital advertising companies. The NAI promotes the health of the online ecosystem by maintaining and enforcing high standards for data collection and use for online advertising purposes. The organization also educates and empowers consumers to make meaningful choices about their experience with online advertising through an easy-to-use opt-out mechanism. To learn more, visit http://www.networkadvertising.org.
