Dive Brief:

• Washington-based think tank the Future of Privacy Forum, led by U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), has worked with the Wireless Registry, Inc. to develop a new mobile opt-out platform for consumers: SmartStorePrivacy.org.

• Mobile locations analytics companies agreeing to the think tank’s Mobile Location Analytics (MAC) code of conduct will honor the opt-out requests, which were possible as of Tuesday and will be processed within 30 days.

• Once a consumer has opted out, participating companies will use their MAC address only to maintain the opt-out status, not to detect the consumer’s presence at the location.

Dive Insight:

Senator Schumer has been acutely concerned that along with the growth of mobile commerce would come any necessary privacy controls. With this development by his Future of Privacy Forum think tank, consumers now have a new privacy control tool.

But retailers needn't worry. Mobile consumers unwilling to let you know their location aren’t all that "mobile" at all, and are likely to be customers on another retail channel. Plus, studies have shown that mobile customers do have a sense that their information has value and don't want retailers taking undue advantage. Although this option can seem like a challenge to mobile commerce, any sense of control that consumers have over their mobile destiny is actually a boon for retailers​