‘Openly Operated’ aims to ensure privacy policies and data protection

A new organization wants to change how people think about their online privacy.

‘Openly Operated’ is a set of guidelines for how apps and web services handle user data, and provides a ‘seal of approval,’ as reported by The Verge.

The co-creators, Johnny Lin and Rahul Dewan, told The Verge that Openly Operated also hopes to affect the privacy debate surrounding users.

An app or website must meet Openly Operated’s three criteria to be considered ‘OO-Certified.’

Firstly, it needs to make an effort to show to a basic level of transparency, by making its code and other factors public. Secondly, it must outline what type of user data is being collected, who can access it and what protection measures are in place.

Thirdly, the claims made by the company need to be looked at by an auditor who will then publish the results.

Although companies already have the option to privately run an audit, Openly Operated aims to promise a certain standard of depth while guaranteeing transparency.

Source: The Verge