All articles tagged with #coppa
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that TikTok and its parent ByteDance will pay $400 million to settle COPPA violations related to children's online privacy, one of the largest recoveries under COPPA; the deal avoids admission of wrongdoing and requires ongoing privacy improvements while resolving the charges.
TikTok has agreed to pay $400 million to the U.S. to settle a Department of Justice COPPA lawsuit accusing the platform of collecting data on users under 13; under the terms, TikTok and ByteDance will pay $300 million now and $100 million later after the government vacates a 2019 FTC consent decree, reflecting changes in ownership and privacy controls for young users since the suit was filed.
The U.S. Department of Justice and TikTok (ByteDance) have agreed to a $400 million settlement over COPPA violations, avoiding further litigation and not admitting wrongdoing; TikTok has since overhauled ownership, management, and privacy protections, introducing stronger youth safeguards, age controls, and greater parental oversight, in what DOJ calls a major step in protecting kids online.
Meta Platforms and Pinterest slid about 4% ahead of a bellwether 29-state youth-safety trial in Oakland, where CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram head Adam Mosseri are expected to testify; plaintiffs allege platform features drive teen use and harm mental health while COPPA violations are cited, with potential damages cited up to trillions and a broader repricing of social-media risk, alongside notes of BlackRock’s El Paso data-center insurance concerns and investors awaiting trial outcomes.
Four US states launch a multi-state trial accusing Meta of designing Facebook and Instagram to be addictive and violating child-privacy laws (including COPPA), seeking billions in damages; Meta denies the allegations and cites a longstanding commitment to protecting young users as the case unfolds in Oakland.
Meta heads to a California federal trial over social-media addiction and COPPA violations, with states seeking potentially record penalties up to $1.4 trillion for allegedly misleading the public about safety and data collection from users under 13. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers will oversee the six-week case in Oakland, with an advisory eight-member jury and possible testimony from Mark Zuckerberg and Adam Mosseri; Meta contends the claims are unproven and the proposed penalties are inflated, amid thousands of related lawsuits and high legal costs—opening arguments begin Aug. 18.
Meta Platforms faces a major bellwether trial in Oakland as 29 states allege the company used features like infinite scroll and autoplay to maximize youth engagement, harming children's mental health and violating COPPA by allowing under-13 users without parental consent; Meta denies wrongdoing and warns damages could reach as high as $1.4 trillion. The case, overseen by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, could feature testimony from Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram chief Adam Mosseri and will set precedent for future litigation against social media firms.
Meta and other social platforms face a multi-state COPPA lawsuit accusing deceptive data practices. California and three other states seek up to about $1.4 trillion in damages, which Meta calls a “headline-seeking” figure that is “untethered from reality.” The case is part of a broader wave of child-privacy actions, involving about 29 states and potentially heading to trial in August, while Meta’s stock fluctuates as investors weigh AI and hardware investments.
The FTC issued a policy statement saying it will not pursue COPPA enforcement actions against general‑ or mixed‑audience sites that collect personal information solely to determine a user’s age through age‑verification tech, provided they meet strict conditions (no extra use or retention, proper third‑party assurances, clear notices, reasonable security, and likely accurate age results). The agency also plans to review the COPPA Rule as age‑verification technologies evolve, with the policy remaining in effect until final rule amendments.
Disney settled with the DOJ for $10 million over allegations of violating child privacy laws by improperly collecting data from children under 13 on YouTube, and has agreed to implement measures to ensure future compliance with COPPA.
Disney agreed to pay $10 million to settle a children's privacy lawsuit with the FTC over misclassified YouTube videos during the pandemic, highlighting ongoing challenges in online age verification and compliance with children's privacy laws.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has rejected the Entertainment Software Ratings Board's (ESRB) application for a facial recognition age verification tool, which would have been used as a form of parental consent under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The FTC cited concerns over privacy, protections, accuracy, and deepfakes, despite some supporters believing the technology had sufficient privacy measures. The ESRB's proposal, developed in partnership with Yoti and SuperAwesome, aimed to estimate users' ages without storing their data, but the FTC's 4-0 vote against the application means it cannot be used for now, although the regulator left open the possibility for the ESRB to re-file the application in the future.
The US Federal Trade Commission has blocked plans to introduce "privacy-protective facial age estimation" technology, which was designed to enforce the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA). The technology, submitted by the ESRB, Yoti, and SuperAwesome, aimed to determine a user's age without storing photographic imagery or using facial recognition algorithms. The FTC's decision to deny the application was unanimous, but without prejudice, leaving open the possibility for resubmission in the future.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking public comments on proposed rules to update the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and shift the responsibility of protecting children's data from parents to service providers. The proposed rules include turning off targeted advertising by default, limiting push notifications, restricting surveillance in schools, strengthening data security measures, and prohibiting companies from retaining children's data indefinitely. The FTC also aims to expand COPPA's definition of "personal information" to include biometric identifiers. The proposed changes are intended to address the evolving ways personal information is collected and used to monetize children's data. The public has 60 days to submit comments once the notice of proposed rulemaking is published.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed new rules under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to restrict the collection and use of children's data by tech companies, particularly for targeted advertising. The proposed changes aim to prevent companies from outsourcing their responsibilities to parents and would require separate parental consent for disclosing data to third parties. Companies would also be prohibited from using persistent identifiers in push notifications to encourage children to return to their apps. The proposed regulations include limits on data retention and require school approval for data collection by education tech firms. The FTC will collect public feedback on the proposal for 60 days before finalizing the rules.