Smart technology is an area that continues to develop and has changed the way we use devices and applications. There are three qualities of smart technology and one of these qualities is advancement, with functions and features that are better than older technology.

Smart technology is also communicative and connected through the Internet of Things or IoT. This means that an individual can have various devices connected, like their mobile phone, personal computer, fridge, and TV. With GPS integration, smart technology is also trackable.

These qualities are seen in devices that use smart technology and are further enhanced in smart applications. A smart mobile app will thus have additional features like compatibility with various smart devices, natural language processing (NLP) capabilities, augmented reality, and predictive analytics.

Smart mobile application development may also incorporate biometric technology, GPS, and other sensory hardware and these features increase the demand for smart applications. However, a software development company may not incorporate smart technology into mobile apps if it does not in any way enhance the uses of the app, especially given the type of app, or because it can be costly.

While a mobile application development company like Codelantic will consider these factors when developing applications, users may have concerns about privacy and security. Smart applications rely on user data for the various features that increase the efficiency of the app. However, data storage raises questions on who has access to the data and how the data will be used.

User privacy and data security are two main concerns raised with regard to smart technology, especially personalized smart apps. These are applications that give users a personalized and tailored experience, for instance by issuing reminders of a task that needs to be completed by a given time. This leads us to the question of how personalized smart apps protect user privacy.

Privacy by design

When talking about how personalized smart apps protect user privacy, the approach known as Privacy by Design must be mentioned. Initially developed by Ann Cavoukian, the approach was formalized in a joint report on privacy-enhancing technologies by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, the Dutch Data Protection Authority, and the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research in 1995.

There are seven principles to this approach and a mobile app development company like Codelantic will consider them during mobile app development.

1. One of the main characteristics of the approach is that it is proactive and not reactive. Its measures focus more on preventing an invasion of privacy or breach of data as opposed to looking at what can be done to remedy such a situation.
2. Privacy by Design also recommends privacy as the default setting, through purpose specification, collection limitation, data minimization, and use, retention, and disclosure limitations. It states that the presumption of privacy and precautionary principle will apply wherever the need or use of personal information is not clear and that the default settings will be the most privacy protective.
3. The approach specifies that privacy must be embedded into technologies in a holistic and integrative manner. This includes an asystemic, principled approach to embedding privacy, detailed privacy impact and risk assessments, and minimization of privacy impacts of resulting technology, operation, or information architecture and their uses.
4. Full functionality is another principle of Privacy by Design as the approach seeks to accommodate all legitimate interests and objectives in a positive-sum manner and not a dated, zero-sum approach. 
5. A software development company like Codelantic will also consider end-to-end security and full lifecycle protection. As per the Privacy by Design approach, this means that privacy must be continuously protected across the entire domain and throughout the lifecycle of the data.
6. Visibility and transparency are two vital elements in ensuring the protection of data and the approach seeks to achieve this through accountability, openness, and compliance.
7. The final principle of Privacy by Design that companies like Codelantic will consider in mobile app development is respect for user privacy. Elements considered in terms of user-centric privacy are consent, accuracy, access, and compliance.

By following these seven principles of the Privacy by Design approach, app developers can ensure data privacy in personalized smart applications.