MMA launches new mobile privacy guidelines

Non-profit industry trade group the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) has launched an initiative to develop a set of mobile privacy guidelines to complement its existing Global Code of Conduct.

The new guidelines are intended to create greater transparency into how subscriber information is collected and used across mobile marketer efforts. The MMA plans to establish a common mobile framework for use by marketers and media companies, outlining how to most appropriately engage consumers via mobile media channels including SMS, MMS, the mobile web and application downloads.

“The launch of this initiative shows the MMA’s and Mobile industry’s ongoing commitment to the importance of consumer transparency with regards to privacy issues and data collection,” said Greg Stuart, Global CEO of the MMA. “The industry recognises that in order for marketers and publishers to responsibly and sustainably engage consumers through and with the mobile channel, we need to continuously update how we address the collection, management and use of personal data or related consumer information.”

The MMA is calling upon leaders across the mobile ecosystem, including media companies, mobile carriers, marketers, agencies and media technologies, to join in this effort by participating on its Privacy Committee. This will also be an important point of discussion at the MMA’s Consumer Best Practices (CBP) meeting, January 25‑26 in Boca Raton, Florida. The CBP meeting is the MMA’s annual forum that facilitates an open dialogue around the mobile marketing industry’s consumer-engagement, self-regulatory principles and guidelines, including best practices for messaging, mobile web, applications, advertising, commerce and privacy.

The MMA’s privacy initiative, led by Alan Chapell, president of Chapell & Associates and Co-Chair of the MMA Privacy Committee, hope to establish a common framework that marketers and media companies can use to engage consumers through and with mobile. These deliverables will help marketers and media companies understand how to appropriately engage consumers directly through the eight mobile media paths (SMS, MMS, Email, Voice, Applications, Mobile Internet, Content and Proximity channels) and with mobile when used in a traditional media context across various market sectors, such as consumer packaged goods, retail, financial services and healthcare.

Individuals and organisations interested in collaborating with the MMA on these efforts parties should contact the MMA at commitees@mmaglobal.com. To attend the CBP forum, please register at http://mmaglobal.com/CBP-2011