Developers See the Need for Best Practices in Data Sharing & Security

Over the past two years the Developers Alliance, a non-profit organization that advocates on behalf of the developer workforce, has demonstrated that the mobile app economy is competitive, stable, mature, and thriving. Developers are an integral part of a complex ecosystem that includes platforms, telecoms, manufacturers, and users, spanning all verticals and industries from broad to niche. It has been barely a decade since the launch of the Apple iPhone; now in the year 2018 the mobile industry has cemented its place in the global economy, with developers leading the way.

What used to be considered the Wild West now has projectable outcomes. This is the signature of a matured industry, as it creates incentives for good behavior and consequences for bad behavior. However, the rapidity of growth in the mobile space has resulted in high-profile growing pains, as evidenced by privacy breaches like Cambridge Analytica.

The debate over the future of the digital economy has arrived. Developers, who are on the front lines of trends and innovation, are ringing the alarm on what they see in the industry. The Developers Alliance recently launched a survey of developers in our network, and 57% of developers and appreneurs say that the industry doesn’t take the issue of data security and data privacy seriously enough. The lingering question remains: how do we address this?