Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure (): I am pleased to inform the
House that the Government has published two documents titled
‘Code of Practice for App Store Operators and App Developers’ and
‘Call for Views Response on App Security and Privacy
Interventions’. This follows on from a Call for Views(opens in a new
tab) held between 4 May and 29 June 2022 where we sought
feedback on our proposed interventions to protect users’ security
and privacy from malicious and poorly developed apps.
We are publishing a world-first voluntary Code of Practice that
sets minimum security and privacy requirements for App Store
Operators and App Developers. Given that people's lives are
dependent on apps to use services, such as online banking, health
and entertainment services, this Code is essential as malicious
and poorly designed apps continue to be accessible to users on
app stores which can result in the loss of personal data, money
and access to devices. This work will help deliver an objective
within the National Cyber Strategy to reduce the cyber risk at
source by ensuring that app stores (and app developers) follow
better levels of cyber security.
This Code will improve the security and privacy practices of both
developers and operators and therefore ensure that apps are more
suitably built. The Code, and the eight principles within it, has
been informed by feedback from operators, developers and security
experts following the Call for Views, and received support from a
vast majority of respondents. It has been thoroughly tested to
ensure it strikes an appropriate balance in protecting users
whilst also not overly burdening operators and developers.
Furthermore, the Code will ensure that more information about an
app’s data practices is conveyed to users so they can make
informed decisions when deciding whether to download an app.
Given the global nature of cyber security issues and digital
markets, we plan to prioritise creating international alignment
on the Code’s security and privacy requirements. We will do this
by engaging with international counterparts to promote the need
for the requirements, particularly in the context of future
competition regulation, and explore the viability of creating an
international standard based on the Code.
I will place a copy of both the ‘Code of Practice for App Store
Operators and App Developers(opens in a new tab)’ and
‘Call for Views Response on App
Security and Privacy Interventions(opens in a new tab)’ in
the Libraries of both Houses.
