Do Mobile apps need to comply to the EU Cookie Law? [closed]

Question

I've had an interesting question from a client regarding the EU cookie law and how it affects their mobile apps.

As you may well know, the Cookie Law requires websites to let users know that the site uses cookies, and tells them how to disable these.

What is the standing with Android/IOS apps? I don't specifically store cookies, but I do store the users login details to automatically check for access on the app startup.

Is this affected by the law? Do I need to add a popup when the app starts to warn users?

What about webviews in the apps?

Basically, I can't find any clarification on the subject, and I can't say I've seen an app which does tell users about storing data.

Answer 1

Short answer:

No. As a mobile app developer, you need not worry about the Cookie Law.

Long answer:

This is an excerpt from Wired's article (link at the bottom):

The "Cookie Law" stems from a modification to the EU Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive, which took place in November 2009. It aims to safeguard privacy online and protect web users from unwanted marketing. Cookies can be used to build up a profile of where you have been and how you have behaved online. The law aims to make sure that any company seeking to collect information about a web user must ask for their consent first. Prior to this modification, websites had to allow people to opt out of cookies. Now they have to opt in to all "non-essential" cookies. The law was imported into UK law in May 2011, but UK companies were given one year to comply. The deadline for compliance is 26 May, 2012.

In my opinion, considering that a Mobile Application is not a Website or a Webpage, unless mandated by a law, you need not inform the user that you will be storing their login details. You know, as a developer, that information (in a Preferences file. I do not know the iOS equivalent) is pretty much secure. If there is any paranoia about privacy, such an Alert would probably end up stoking it even further. Quite unnecessary in my opinion. Others may or may not differ on it. The ideal thing to do is to display a Privacy Policy when users install and run your app for the first time. Google Play, in the developer console, also has a feature that allows you to provide an a privacy policy URL. These measure, again, in my opinion are good enough.

If you inquisitive about the Cookie Law, read some of these articles:

1. Article on Wired, titled: A simple guide to cookies and how to comply with EU cookie law
2. Definitive guide to the Cookie Law
3. What you need to know about the EU Cookie Law