Platform privacies: Governance, collaboration, and the different meanings of “privacy” in iOS and Android development

Mobile application design can have a tremendous impact on consumer privacy. But how do mobile developers learn what constitutes privacy? We analyze discussions about privacy on two major developer forums: one for iOS and one for Android. We find that the different platforms produce markedly differen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNew media & society Vol. 20; no. 4; pp. 1640 - 1657
Main Authors Greene, Daniel, Shilton, Katie
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England SAGE Publications 01.04.2018
Subjects
Google
Apple
collaboration
privacy
mobile media
values in design
governance
platforms
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Summary:Mobile application design can have a tremendous impact on consumer privacy. But how do mobile developers learn what constitutes privacy? We analyze discussions about privacy on two major developer forums: one for iOS and one for Android. We find that the different platforms produce markedly different definitions of privacy. For iOS developers, Apple is a gatekeeper, controlling market access. The meaning of “privacy” shifts as developers try to interpret Apple’s policy guidance. For Android developers, Google is one data-collecting adversary among many. Privacy becomes a set of defensive features through which developers respond to a data-driven economy’s unequal distribution of power. By focusing on the development cultures arising from each platform, we highlight the power differentials inherent in “privacy by design” approaches, illustrating the role of platforms not only as intermediaries for privacy-sensitive content but also as regulators who help define what privacy is and how it works.
ISSN:1461-4448
1461-7315
DOI:10.1177/1461444817702397