19. "A Tumultuous Trip to Mobile App Transparency"

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/09/technology/effort-to-clarify-mobile-app-data-rights-hits-snags.html?ref=technology

Natasha Singer, on December 8th 2012, published an article on apps. People download apps without often knowing what it does or what it is for. The scary truth is that apps collect a lot of personal information from our phones such as contact list and other data in the phone. For example, an app that allows you to share pictures may ask for access of your contact list in order to help you find your friends, but really all they just want to get access of your list for their own benefit. Groups have been trying to change this, so that now apps need to state what kind of data they will have access to if you download the app. The White House even had a meeting in order to discuss about developing a "Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights." They announced their first step into this process and that is to work out a code of conduct to see how apps handle the consumers data. John Morris said that he is pleased with the process the stakeholders have made. Since some disagree with Morris, they have created a voluntary transparency screens. The level of strife over the mobile app issue does not work well with the large federal effort as Singer says. App industries decided to come up with a screen on what the app  will collect from your phone. The screen will offer the types of data collected such as personal contracts and locations and another screen will offer the kinds of entities such as ad networks and data brokers. This will allow consumers to compare apps not only by what they do but also what kind of data they collect. Although this is a great way to show information, the app industries don't like it because they feel as if consumers do not want to go a whole bunch of pages before purchasing the app.

Singer uses a very good title into capturing the reader's attention right away. She also uses different point of views which allow the reader to know what all industries are thinking and saying about this particular situation. Her tone throughout the article is serious in order to show us how serious this matter really is; app stores having access to whatever they want to on our phones. The author's purpose for this article is to show us how dangerous apps really can be and are.