There are no formal rules for what is ethical — or even legal — in the location data business. That needs to change.

In the op-ed, Jeff (Foursquare’s CEO) outlines what he thinks would be reasonable regulation. Here are the highlights:

- apps should not collect location data unless they are using it to provide value to the user
- there should be transparency to the user around what they are signing up for and how the data will be used
- there should be a “do no harm” requirement
- location data should be protected with the appropriate security

There are no formal rules for what is ethical — or even legal — in the location data business. That needs to change.

In the op-ed, Jeff (Foursquare’s CEO) outlines what he thinks would be reasonable regulation. Here are the highlights:

- apps should not collect location data unless they are using it to provide value to the user
- there should be transparency to the user around what they are signing up for and how the data will be used
- there should be a “do no harm” requirement
- location data should be protected with the appropriate security