YouTube Data
A coalition of consumer groups is calling for a federal investigation of YouTube and its parent company, Google.
They claim the company is violating privacy laws by collecting information on kids, but YouTube said the site is not for kids.
“YouTube is collecting tons of information on all of us when we’re watching videos, including all the children who are watching videos. They need to get parental permission to collect information from kids,” said Josh Golin, executive director of Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood.
The complaint alleges YouTube is in violation of COPPA, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which requires companies to obtain parental consent before collecting certain kinds of personal information on kids under the age of 13.
The information that the group claims is being collected includes telephone numbers, location information and other identifiers that can be used to recognize a user over time.
The Federal Trade Commission confirmed it received the complaint and had no further comment.
YouTube said it is reviewing the complaint and will evaluate if there are things it can do to improve, adding that “YouTube is not for children and that its YouTube Kids app is.”
If you click on YouTube’s main site terms of service, the terms state “you affirm you are over the age of 13.” You also can’t register for an account without navigating an age gate.
