Celebrating Data Privacy Day

Today is Data Privacy Day; an international reminder of the importance of keeping our online presence secure and privacy and data protection.

The day began life in Europe as Data Protection Day, commemorating the 1981 signing of convention 108 - the first legally binding treaty addressing data protection and privacy, in 2008 becoming Data Privacy Day in the US and Canada, championed by the National Cyber Security Alliance.

"Data Privacy Day highlights a year-round effort for all of us to improve measures to protect our personal data,” said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA). “We want all digital citizens to feel like they have a choice in how their data is being collected, stored, and consumed and that starts with being educated about the privacy policies of online companies and Web properties. As society increasingly becomes more wired, it’s imperative we understand how to best protect our data.”

The importance of safe data management and privacy is especially pressing when dealing with mobile data. We carry our phones with us everywhere and in this age of Twitter and Facebook with geo-located real time status updates, photo uploads and financial transactions being commonplace, phone users need to be more careful than ever about what information they share with a host of social platforms and applications.

The recent MEF Global Consumer Survey showed that 35% of consumers have concerns around the safety of mobile commerce, citing trust as a key barrier to using the phone to purchase goods and services. The need for mobile commerce and content providers to think seriously about what can be done to protect consumers' data has never been more urgent.

MEF has been championing privacy in mobile since 2011 with various global initiatives and as part of this programme is currently developing an online tool for app developers that will embed best practice privacy right into the heart of app developer’s businesses by allowing them to be completely transparent with consumers about what data their app collects and how it uses it.

The tool is being developed with the help of a dedicated working group of MEF members that span the value chain, comprising developers, app store fronts, privacy experts and business development executives. 

The aim is to work towards building trust into apps from the ground up, so consumers can use apps with confidence, knowing before installation what data an app will collect and how it will use it, empowering them to decide what information they are happy to share with a wider online world.

For more information about the Privacy in Apps Initiative, contact info@mefmobile.org

Checkout the Stay Safe Online website for more information about Data Privacy Day, which has a host of resources to help you keep your digital footprint under control.

MEF Member Survey - Win tickets to MEF Connects MWC 2013

MEF is conducting a global survey of its members for 2013.

The business needs of such a diverse international member community are varied and changing, and MEF is committed to optimising its membership services accordingly. The online survey takes around ten minutes to complete and all participating members will receive a synopsis of the results, offering a strategic insight snapshot across the global community.

If you would rather speak to a real person, you can also carry out the survey over the phone in order to discuss your plans and views in more detail with a member of the MEF team. If you’d like to arrange a review call please contact your local MEF representative or email admin@mefmobile.org

The deadline for completing the survey is 25th January 2013.

All replies completed will be entered into a free prize draw with a chance to win one of five sets of tickets to the legendary MEF Connects MWC 2013 in Barcelona on 25th February at the Museum of Modern Art, hands down the hottest ticket of MWC, so get your responses in for a chance to win.

Have your login details ready to complete the survey on the MEF website.

MEF unveils mobile predictions for 2013

Happy New Year from MEF Blog! MEF has kicked things off for us in 2013 by unveiling its mobile predictions for the year ahead. Leveraging the collective wisdom of its global board members and insights from the 2012 Global Consumer Survey, MEF has come up with 10 key mobile trends to watch for in 2013, including the growth of convenience as a key driver, Trust as a critical asset and the role of big data.

Andrew Bud, MEF Global Chair, said: ”2012 saw continued expansion and diversification of the mobile content and commerce industry, particularly in growth markets such as Africa and Latin America. In late 2012 MEF launched the findings of our Global Consumer Survey, which highlighted that 88 per cent of the world’s mobile media users now regularly engage in mobile content and commerce. Looking ahead into 2013, all indicators point to another year of global growth across the mobile ecosystem. At the same time, disruption and market challenges, particularly around issues of Consumer Trust, will continue to test our industry’s resolve and agility.”

Continue reading below for the list of predictions, and head over to the MEF website for the full story.

Guest Blog: Privacy Update

The Privacy Blog continues, with news from MEF's Simon Bates on the latest developments in the Privacy in mobile Apps Initiative, and a call for help from MEF members.

 

You will be aware of the excitement around online privacy. Businesses realised a long time ago that the information they collected from people visiting their sites was valuable to advertisers. Few, though, made it clear that this information was being bought and sold. This led to a public outcry which resulted in ‘Do not Track’ legislation in the USA and the ‘Cookies’ Directive in Europe. 

 

Legislators are now turning their attention to the mobile app market. If the mobile content and commerce industry doesn’t demonstrate its commitment to protecting consumers’ privacy then governments will act. This will lead to strident new rules that may or may not have the desired effect and will impose an extra layer of red tape on businesses. 

 

As you’d expect, MEF is leading the charge. The recently released Global Consumer Survey 2012, available for all members to download for free, found that consumer trust remains a key barrier to the uptake of mobile content & commerce, with 35% of the global audience citing it as their primary concern.

MEF launched its Privacy in Mobile Applications Initiative at the inaugural MEF Privacy Summit in Washington DC earlier this year, with the goal of helping the global mobile industry build consumer trust when interacting with mobile apps that collect user data.

Working closely with members who are experts in privacy law and app development, we are well underway with a programme of work that will clearly show that we do care for consumers. That there’s nothing wrong with collecting and sharing data so long as you are transparent about it and let consumers control the way their information is used.

We are building a tool for developers that will help them build best practise privacy right into the design of their app. The simple web-based platform will quiz developers about how their app uses a consumer’s information.

MEFTV at the MEF Africa Office Launch

MEFTV spoke to several of the new Steering Committee members at the inaugural meeting, held in Cape Town during AfricaCom last month. Here we hear from MEF members Digitali, with Stefano Valenti & Demetre Kotsonis, and get their thoughts on the role MEF can play in Africa.

To hear more from the MEF Africa Steering Committee members, head over to the MEF website.

MEF Africa Launch in pictures

MEF recently launched its dedicated presence in Africa at the inaugural Steering Committee meeting in Cape Town. The new MEF office was launched in association with Vodacom, and aims to help promote African mobile growth and showcase innovation.

The launch and steering committee meeting were well attended by a cross-section of industry luminaries from right across the value chain, and representing the whole of the African continent - check out the photos from the launch below - and to find out more, head over to the MEF website.

Take the Women in Wireless London Chapter "State of Play" Survey

Women in Wireless (WiW) London is conducting a survey among females in the mobile and digital media industries in the UK and you are heartily encouraged to participate by clicking this link. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete. 

The survey objective is to explore the current state of play for women’s career and life choices, and to understand how companies can work with organisations like WiW to develop the skills and options available for women to pursue a challenging and fulfilling career path.

As a reward for participating, you will have the option to provide your email address to be entered into a prize draw to win a Kindle HD tablet – a special post-holiday season gift! WiW will also inform you of the survey results and future London activities.

Click here to participate and rest assured that your contribution will remain confidential and your details will not be shared with any third parties.

To keep in touch with WiW activities, join “Women in Wireless London Chapter” on LinkedIn and Facebook, and follow @WiWLondon on Twitter.

MEF Middle East surveys show strong mobile growth in Middle East region

MEF Middle East’s Office, co-founded by the Qtel Group, has published its third Middle East Mobile Content & Commerce Survey, carried out in partnership with KPMG. It found that overall the level of confidence in growth in the region remains bullish, and is growing.

Fot the third year running, MEF again invited everyone who does business in the Middle East, no matter where they are headquartered, to share their insights into this key market.

The study offers a unique time line of business confidence in mobile content and commerce activities in the region. The market appears to be growing ahead of expectations with almost a half of respondents saying their company had grown, while just one in ten had contracted during the third quarter of 2012. 90% of respondents were optimistic about growth with notable increases in both mobile social networks (33 per cent) and mobile games (10 per cent) segments.

The results of the third ME Survey reflect the findings of MEF's annual Global Consumer Survey released last month. Carried out in partnership with On Device Research it reveals the behaviour of mobile media users from across the world, giving unprecedented data and intelligence into mobile engagement and purchasing habits.

 

Head over to the MEF website to download the survey report in Arabic or English - available to all MEF members right now. Non members may download an executive summary of the findings.

MEF North America m-Commerce Playbook

The MEF Global Consumer Survey found that the US now has 91% penetration of mobile content & commerce, with growth in all mobile content and commerce behaviors – product research, banking and purchasing. Members in North America are currently working on the MEF mCommerce Playbook, an exclusive MEF member resource that you will soon be able to download from the main website.

Contributing members include SNR Denton, RIM, InComm, Alliance Data, Impact Mobile, PayOne, OpenMarket, Nielsen, Buck, Samsung and MoPay.

The playbook will feature information on:

• Current m-commerce and mobile payment models
• Security and threats that need to be addressed
• Emerging issues that need to be addressed by the industry
• Retail and Content focused strategies
• Regulatory process

For more information on the m-commerce Playbook, please contact MEF North America GM Marjorie Daleo Dehey.

New Leadership in MEF North and Latin America

MEF  has announced the results of its 2012 North and Latin America board elections.

 

The elections took place at the international trade association’s regional AGMs held in Miami as part of the third annual MEF Americas 2012, where over 160 senior mobile executives from across North and Latin America’s mobile ecosystems gathered and the inaugural Battle of the Start-ups competition in association Red Herring also took place.

 

Ron Czerny, CEO of Playphone, who previously chaired MEF’s LatAm Chapter, was elected North America Chair by the new Board and Filipe Roup Rosa, Business Development Director at Boku, was elected as MEF LatAm Chair.

 

Former MEF North America Chair, Gary Schwartz was re-elected to the regional Board and will take up the role of Special Representative to MEF Global to drive m-Commerce and growth initiatives. 

 

For the full press release, head over to the MEF website, or continue reading below for more details.