Google and its subsidiary YouTube, which is accused of violating the law by exposing children to inappropriate videos or collecting personal data about them, have agreed to pay a record $ 170 million fine in the United States and better protect the data of children using the platform.
The agreement, which was reached out of court and is expected to receive the green light from the Ministry of Justice, is the most important to date in a case involving the protection of children’s privacy, the Consumer Protection Service (FTC) announced today.
The timeline of the fine-mammoth
In April 2018, 23 organizations for the protection of digital rights and the protection of childhood filed a lawsuit with the Consumer Protection Authority. The plaintiffs accused YouTube of collecting personal information of minors (tracking, using a device, phone numbers) without the parents’ knowledge, and using them to allow targeted advertising.
The FTC will receive $ 136 of the $ 170 million fine and the remaining $ 34 million will go to the New York State Department of Justice.
“The FTC is excellent for businesses that were potential customers for its popularity with children,” said Joseph Simmons, chief executive of the company. “However, when it came to enforcing the law, the company refused to acknowledge that part of its platform was clearly intended for children. There is no justification for how YouTube violated the law. “
Youtube is changing methods
The out-of-court settlement, in which the two Democratic FTC commissioners objected, deeming it not serious enough, forces YouTube to change its methods.
“We will process the data of those who watch children’s programs on YouTube as if they came from a child, whatever the age of the viewer,” said Susan Wojcicki, president, and CEO of YouTube, in a statement issued after the agreement was announced.
Data collection will be limited to what is necessary for the proper functioning of the service and there will no longer be targeted ads for this type of content as well as the ability to make comments, he explained.
Source: RES-EIA
