Abstract
BackgroundDue to the growing availability of consumer information, the protection of personal data is of increasing concern.ObjectiveWe assessed readability metrics of privacy policies for apps that are either available to or targeted toward youth to inform strategies to educate and protect youth from unintentional sharing of personal data.MethodsWe reviewed the 1200 highest ranked apps from the Apple and Google Play Stores and systematically selected apps geared toward youth. After applying exclusion criteria, 99 highly ranked apps geared toward minors remained, 64 of which had a privacy policy. We obtained and analyzed these privacy policies using reading grade level (RGL) as a metric. Policies were further compared as a function of app category (free vs paid; entertainment vs social networking vs utility).ResultsAnalysis of privacy policies for these 64 apps revealed an average RGL of 12.78, which is well above the average reading level (8.0) of adults in the United States. There was also a small but statistically significant difference in word count as a function of app category (entertainment: 2546 words, social networking: 3493 words, and utility: 1038 words; P=.02).ConclusionsAlthough users must agree to privacy policies to access digital tools and products, readability analyses suggest that these agreements are not comprehensible to most adults, let alone youth. We propose that stakeholders, including pediatricians and other health care professionals, play a role in educating youth and their guardians about the use of Web-based services and potential privacy risks, including the unintentional sharing of personal data.
Highlights
Recommended Practices: Purpose and ScopeThe Attorney General’s Privacy Enforcement and Protection Unit has the mission of protecting the inalienable right to privacy conferred by the California Constitution
Tell your customers whom they can contact with questions or concerns about your privacy policies and practices
The Act applies to operators of commercial web sites and online services that collect personally identifiable information about Californians
Summary
Meaningful privacy policy statements safeguard consumers by helping them make informed decisions about which companies they will entrust with their personal information. The Act was amended in 2013 to address the issue of online tracking—the collection of personal information about consumers as they move across web sites and online services. The 2013 amendments to CalOPPA require web site operators and online services to inform consumers of just this, and the recommendations set forth here address these new provisions. This document is another of the Attorney General’s recommendations on privacy and security practices, including the recently released Cybersecurity in the Golden State Accountability Tell your customers whom they can contact with questions or concerns about your privacy policies and practices
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