The MEF Consumer Trust Summit series comes to London for the first time this month. Here, MEF CEO, Rimma Perelmuter explains why consumer trust in mobile services remains one of the most crucial issues for MEF and its members.
You’ve probably heard there’s a new type of app taking the Apple community by storm. The success of new ad blocking software following the launch of iOS 9 suggests that consumers are embracing their newfound freedom from marketing content.
On desktop/laptop, which have incorporated similar technology for some time, almost 150 million browsers are using some form of content block. What does this mean for app developers and web publishers who have built successful monetisation models around display advertising? Will they adapt by leveraging the consumer data they’ve collected in new, perhaps more intrusive ways? If so, what will be the impact on trust in mobile services?
We will explore the opportunities that are presented by consumers’ increasing awareness of privacy and security issues. A growing lack of trust in mobile apps and services is disrupting the market and creating a crucible for innovation among a new generation of entrepreneurs.”
At the same time, the European Court of Human Justice has recently found that the safe harbor agreement is invalid. This is the framework that allows US companies to hold data on European citizens, so pretty important to the app community.
All in all, it’s an exciting time for MEF to hold its inaugural European Consumer Trust Summit. On October 20, at Level39 in London’s Canary Wharf, we will discuss these and other issues with delegates from across the mobile ecosystem, brands, regulators and consumer advocates.
The purpose of the event is to help companies discover the right balance between monetisation and building a sustainable market which has consumers’ interests at its heart.
We will look to answer the challenges facing companies selling apps and services into a global marketplace that’s governed by a patchwork quilt of ever-changing regulations. We will examine exciting new sectors such as mhealth and the internet of things and how leading players have approached the management of hyper-sensitive data.
Crucially, we will explore the opportunities that are presented by consumers’ increasing awareness of privacy and security issues. A growing lack of trust in mobile apps and services is disrupting the market and creating a crucible for innovation among a new generation of entrepreneurs.
This is the fifth time in four years MEF has gathered its members with other industry commentators to discuss the business critical issue of consumer trust. Speakers at our previous events in New York and Washington DC include Senators, regulators at the Federal Trade Commission, FCC and Fed Reserve Board alongside senior executives from industry leaders like Google and Vodafone.
Speakers already confirmed include Mozilla, Evernote, CitizenMe, AVG, F-Secure, TechUK and many more. The agenda includes an interactive workshop and start-up pitches and is divided into four sessions:
Rimma Perelmuter
CEO
MEF
- Complying with local regulations in a global marketplace.
- the impact of trust issues on new vertical markets such as the Internet of Things and mobile healthcare.
- MEF’s Global Consumer Trust Initiative and its member-led Working Group.
- How trust issues are driving innovation and the development of exciting new services.
More information on this landmark event – along with registration details – can be found here. I look forward to seeing you there!
