The developer community advocate urged the FTC to continue recognizing the delicate balance between software developers, digital entrepreneurs, and consumer data.
WASHINGTON D.C., August 21st, 2020 – The Developers Alliance has submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commission per its request for public comment on the potential benefits and challenges to consumers and competition raised by data portability. In its comments, the Developers Alliance noted its appreciation of the Commission’s evaluation of the existing data portability industry. It then urged the FTC to continue to recognize the vital role of software developers in ensuring the creation of effective policy in this issue area.
Developers Alliance highlighted that in order for consumers to have transparency there should be a way for them to access their unprocessed data through a data portability policy. The submission then details the balance that must be made with the needs of digital entrepreneurs, who focus on innovative services that combine and analyze data in novel ways to create new user value. The organization then recommended policy with clear scope, emphasis on consumer trust, and the avoidance of placing any undue burden on developers.
In their comments, the Developers Alliance elaborated on this position with the following points:
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“We understand data portability to be an optional, user-driven operation that allows for users to move their data to their platform of choice.”
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“Data portability works better with certain types of information than others; this distinction should be factored in when considering competitive benefits to promoting data portability.”
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“The implementation of GDPR and CCPA have taught us that developer challenges associated with data portability largely involve verifying consumer identity and protecting privacy.”
“We look forward to a continued discussion with the FTC and industry stakeholders over data portability,” stated Developers Alliance U.S. Policy Manager Sarah Richard. “Developers acknowledge and support the rights of consumers to obtain their data, however, the intellectual property of developers should be protected in order to foster a robust and competitive marketplace.”
“People trust in services when they feel they are in control”, said Bruce Gustafson, CEO of the Developers Alliance. “Developers invest a lot of effort and ingenuity into building services based on the insights they gain from their users. The market works when all sides share in the benefits of this innovation, and we’re delighted that developers have been invited to the table to help explain the tight coupling of privacy and innovation.”
You can read the full comment submission here.
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About The Developers Alliance
The Developers Alliance is the world’s leading advocate for software developers and the companies invested in their success. Alliance members include industry leaders in consumer, enterprise, industrial, and emerging software development, and a global network of more than 70,000 developers.
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