Lawsuit accuses Disney of spying on children through 42 gaming apps
This is not the first time Disney has been accused of violating Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
Amanda Rushing, the petitioner from San Francisco, claimed that she was unaware that the app Disney Princess Palace Pets was collecting information about her child. PHOTO COURTESY: DISNEY
The Walt Disney Company is facing a class-action lawsuit in US for allegedly collecting children’s personal information through dozens of gaming apps and selling that data to advertisers without parental consent.
A federal class action lawsuit filed last week in California alleges that Disney has violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) which requires companies designing apps for children under the age of 13 to obtain consent from parents before collecting children’s personal information.
Beware of toys spying on your children: FBI warns parents
The lawsuit, which targets Disney along with three software companies — Upsight, Unity, and Kochava — maintains that the mobile apps created for children by these companies contained embedded software to track, collect, and then export their personal information along with information about their online behaviour. The lawsuit alleged as many as 42 Disney apps contain tracking technology.
Amanda Rushing, the petitioner from San Francisco, claimed that she was unaware that the app Disney Princess Palace Pets was collecting information about her child, and was selling that data was to third parties for ad targeting.
Apple's China problem highlights conundrum for tech sector
While praying for an injunction barring the defendants from tracking and sharing data collected without parental consent, the plaintiff is also seeking “appropriate relief, including actual and statutory damages and punitive damages,” in addition to all costs related to prosecuting the action.
Responding to the lawsuit Disney said:
This is not the first time Disney has been accused of violating COPPA. Earlier in 2011, the FTC levied a $3 million civil penalty against subsidiary Playdom after it illegally collected and disclosed personal information from “hundreds of thousands of children under age 13 without their parents’ prior consent.”
Google to stop scanning Gmail for creating targeted ads
Here’s the list of all the Disney apps named in the lawsuit:
AvengersNet
Beauty and the Beast
Perfect Match
Cars Lightening League
Club Penguin Island
Color by Disney
Disney Color and Play
Disney Crossy Road
Disney Dream Treats
Disney Emoji Blitz
Disney Gif
Disney Jigsaw Puzzle!
Disney LOL
Disney Princess: Story Theater
Disney Store Become
Disney Story Central
Disney Magic Timer
Disney Princess: Charmed Adventures
Dodo Pop
Disney Build It Frozen
DuckTales: Remastered
Frozen Free Fall
Frozen Free Fall: Icy Shot
Good Dinosaur Storybook Deluxe
Inside Out Thought Bubbles
Maleficent Free Fall
Miles from Tomorrowland: Missions
Moana Island Life
Olaf's Adventures
Palace Pets in Whisker Haven
Sofia the First Color and Play
Sofia the First Secret Library
Star Wars: Puzzle DroidsTM
Star WarsTM: Commander
Temple Run: Oz
Temple Run: Brave
The Lion Guard
Toy Story: Story Theater
Where's My Mickey?
Where’s My Water? (paid, lite, and free)
Where's My Water? 2
This article originally appeared on The Verge
A federal class action lawsuit filed last week in California alleges that Disney has violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) which requires companies designing apps for children under the age of 13 to obtain consent from parents before collecting children’s personal information.
Beware of toys spying on your children: FBI warns parents
The lawsuit, which targets Disney along with three software companies — Upsight, Unity, and Kochava — maintains that the mobile apps created for children by these companies contained embedded software to track, collect, and then export their personal information along with information about their online behaviour. The lawsuit alleged as many as 42 Disney apps contain tracking technology.
Amanda Rushing, the petitioner from San Francisco, claimed that she was unaware that the app Disney Princess Palace Pets was collecting information about her child, and was selling that data was to third parties for ad targeting.
Apple's China problem highlights conundrum for tech sector
While praying for an injunction barring the defendants from tracking and sharing data collected without parental consent, the plaintiff is also seeking “appropriate relief, including actual and statutory damages and punitive damages,” in addition to all costs related to prosecuting the action.
Responding to the lawsuit Disney said:
Disney has a robust COPPA compliance program, and we maintain strict data collection and use policies for Disney apps created for children and families. The complaint is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of COPPA principles, and we look forward to defending this action in court.”
This is not the first time Disney has been accused of violating COPPA. Earlier in 2011, the FTC levied a $3 million civil penalty against subsidiary Playdom after it illegally collected and disclosed personal information from “hundreds of thousands of children under age 13 without their parents’ prior consent.”
Google to stop scanning Gmail for creating targeted ads
Here’s the list of all the Disney apps named in the lawsuit:
AvengersNet
Beauty and the Beast
Perfect Match
Cars Lightening League
Club Penguin Island
Color by Disney
Disney Color and Play
Disney Crossy Road
Disney Dream Treats
Disney Emoji Blitz
Disney Gif
Disney Jigsaw Puzzle!
Disney LOL
Disney Princess: Story Theater
Disney Store Become
Disney Story Central
Disney Magic Timer
Disney Princess: Charmed Adventures
Dodo Pop
Disney Build It Frozen
DuckTales: Remastered
Frozen Free Fall
Frozen Free Fall: Icy Shot
Good Dinosaur Storybook Deluxe
Inside Out Thought Bubbles
Maleficent Free Fall
Miles from Tomorrowland: Missions
Moana Island Life
Olaf's Adventures
Palace Pets in Whisker Haven
Sofia the First Color and Play
Sofia the First Secret Library
Star Wars: Puzzle DroidsTM
Star WarsTM: Commander
Temple Run: Oz
Temple Run: Brave
The Lion Guard
Toy Story: Story Theater
Where's My Mickey?
Where’s My Water? (paid, lite, and free)
Where's My Water? 2
This article originally appeared on The Verge