GPEN and ICO report finds lack of mobile site optimisation is putting user privacy at risk

Jose Talavera, solution consultant for the UK and Nordics at Keynote, the mobile, cloud and web performance specialist, offers the following comment on why mobile optimisation is critical to alleviate privacy concerns:

“The GPEN and ICO report highlights just how important it is to optimise sites for mobile devices; it’s not just aesthetics, but personal privacy that is at stake. It is simply unacceptable that site visitors are left in the dark when it comes to being aware of how secure – or not – the sites they’re visiting are. This is a prime example of why sites can’t simply be shrunk to facilitate mobile access. Developers must ensure sites are well thought out and privacy information is made readily available and readable. Failing to do this could not only drive away custom for a business, but could be hugely detrimental to a company’s credibility, not to mention the backlash from users if a site is then breached.

“To ensure consumers are able to access privacy information, developers must regularly monitor and test site performance for both mobile and online sites, in real-time and on real devices. This will help companies understand what their customers are truly experiencing, regardless of their network, handset, device or location. If the text is too small to read, the information is too hard to access, or it cannot be accessed at all, developers will be able to identify these issues and resolve them as quickly and efficiently as possible. Where privacy is concerned, it’s crucial to get it right first time, and testing and monitoring could be the key to ensuring overall brand reputation is not damaged and customers are retained.”