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Speaking ahead of Data Privacy Day, Fergus Hurley, co-founder of Checks
– a new platform from Area 120 at Google that is helping to
simplify the path to privacy compliance for app developers, said, “It
is especially important for digital companies that operate on a global
scale, especially those that operate in sensitive areas (financial,
medical, children, government), to prioritize data privacy, as they need
to be compliant with the regulations of each country they operate in. It
is crucial for companies that provide digital products to stay informed
about these regulations and ensure that their data collection and usage
practices align with them.

On our platform, we’re seeing that nearly 75% of Checks customers are
using more than 20 SDKs in their apps. An SDK is a set of tools and
resources that developers use to create software for a specific platform
or technology. These kits include libraries, documentation, sample code,
and other materials that help developers build, test, and deploy their
software quickly. We continue to see customers surprised by either the
SDKs that are included in their app or the data that is being passed to
third-parties (presumably through these SDKs) that wasn’t known. This
will continue to be a risk area for developers as companies continue to
rely on SDKs to ship and update apps faster and more efficiently. Checks
helps developers ensure that they are only doing what they intend to do
and keeps an eye on how SDKs are operating in their app. Ensuring that
the code developers incorporate in their app (whether it be SDKs or data
through API calls) is operating as-intended and that they are aware of
any changes.

In addition to avoiding fines, complying with these regulations can also
increase customer trust and loyalty. Users are becoming more aware of
their data privacy rights and are more likely to do business with
companies that respect and protect their personal information. Privacy
compliance can be difficult and complicated, but it can also break your
business if you don’t do it right.”