Disney settled FTC complaint with YouTube to collect children’s data

Disney will pay a $ 10 million penalty kick on allegations that she had made a mistake in naming videos on YouTube and allowing to collect personal data from children without notifying parents or obtaining their approval, FTC said in an advertisement Tuesday.

the complaint In a local local court, Disney has claimed that video clips to YouTube on the channels that were not made for children when the videos should have been classified.Make“

The Federal Trade Committee said that children’s videos were collected more than that of this information and the use of this information to target ads for children under the age of 13. The error, which enabled features like Autoplay on videos, violated COPPA, online privacy protection base for children.

A Disney spokesman told CNET: “Supporting the welfare of children and families is at the heart of what we do. This settlement does not include digital platforms owned and Disney managers, but it is limited to distributing some of our contents on the YouTube platform.” “Disney has a long tradition in adopting the highest criteria for compliance with children’s privacy laws, and we are still committed to investing in the tools needed to continue to be a pioneer in this field.”

In addition to a civilian penalty worth $ 10 million due to its violation of COPPA, Disney agreed to ensure COPPA compliance by notifying parents and obtaining approval of videos that are “not made for children” and creating a review program on how to describe videos. According to FTC, “This aspecting ruling is reflected and expects the increasing use of age guarantee techniques to protect children online.”

Separately, ftc also Coppa -related measures were taken against Toy Maker Apitor Technologyany Make robots It aims to children between the ages of 6 to 14 years. FTC claims that the company collected geographical information from children through a third party application in China. FTC imposes a penalty of $ 500,000.

When the major companies missed the mark

Since COPPA was passing in 1998, technology that could reach young people has evolved significantly, but enforcement has not been abandoned that organizers have turned their expectations on how to comply with companies. This can be a challenge even for companies like Disney.

“For any company that interacts with children or collects children’s data, and obtains privacy compliance, means investing in knowledge and internal resources to meet these advanced standards,” said Copon Zeville Kagan, Managing Director of the Washington DC Office of the non -profit organization. Iapp.

In addition to federal rules, there are also state laws that companies must keep up with.

“This means more protection for consumers and families. This also means a lot of work for privacy teams in a wide range of organizations,” Zweifel -Kegan told CNET. “With the changing standards, and given the complex ecosystem that participates in providing children with a safe online experience, companies that invest a lot in compliance with privacy can miss the brand.

“When they don’t do it, they can miss the mark with a wider margin.”

Disney missed the sign of the child’s privacy before, however: In 2011, the company paid A fine of $ 3 million On similar allegations against social networking service they play.

“If a Disney Reput Restore our mind online. “Disney is one of the most reliable brands in the world, yet it has intentionally broke the rules.

Winstein said that there are emerging legislation that may do more to protect children from targeted ads and other online risks, especially amid AI and increased spyware. “The fines alone will not solve this because the dominant companies such as Disney and Google are paying them” the costs of doing business, “said Winstein.