The FTC released a similar report in Februrary, but little has changed since then, the commission concluded today. On most popular apps, there is no good way for parents to find out what type of data is being collected from their kids, whom that data is being shared with, and who has access to it, the FTC said. Many of these apps connect to social networks and quietly send information to third parties, so parents are often in the dark.
The FTC said it would launch non-public investigations to determine whether certain apps makers are violating the Children‘s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which bans the collection of data about kids under 13 without parental consent, or the FTC Act.
FTC staff looked at hundreds of popular apps for this report. Only about 20 percent disclosed any information about the app’s privacy practices. Nearly 60 percent were sending information back to the developer or a third-party, like an ad network.
“A relatively small number of third parties received information from a large number of apps,” the FTC said. “This means the third parties that receive information from multiple apps could potentially develop detailed profiles of the children based on their behavior in different apps.”
The FTC “strongly” urged app makers to incorporate better privacy protections and provide parents with easier-to-understand data about how their kids‘ information is used. The commission is also considering a consumer education campaign to help parents navigate the world of mobile apps.
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reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com