Children's privacy at risk: Unauthorized tracking of kids' locations by robot playthings

The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken action against Chinese-based robot toy manufacturer Apitor Technology, accusing them of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) by collecting geolocated data from children without informing or obtaining consent from parents.

According to the FTC, Apitor's robot toys collect children's geolocation information through a free Android app. The app requires location sharing to be enabled, and the Chinese company integrated a third-party library called JPush into their app, allowing JPush's developer to collect location data for any purpose, including advertising. This level of precision could potentially reveal a child's home address, school, after-school locations, and specific places they visit.

Christopher Mufarrige, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, stated that Apitor allowed a Chinese third party to collect sensitive data from children in violation of COPPA. In response, Apitor has agreed to the settlement terms without admitting or denying the allegations.

As part of the settlement, Apitor is permanently banned from collecting children's sensitive data without proper parental permission. They are also required to erase all illegally collected children's data and will be subject to years of monitoring to ensure continuing compliance.

Meanwhile, the FTC has announced that Disney will pay a $10 million dollar fine in settlement of claims it failed to correctly tag YouTube videos as "Made for Kids." This failure resulted in the streaming site collecting personal data and serving personalized ads, in violation of COPPA.

COPPA treats detailed geolocation data as highly sensitive personal information, and companies are required to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing such data from children under the age of 13 years old.

The FTC has issued a suspended $500,000 fine against Apitor Technology, which can be imposed if the company fails to comply with the terms of the settlement. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint against Apitor Technology, accusing them of breaching the COPPA Rule.

This is not the first time the FTC has taken action against companies for violating COPPA. In the past, the commission has fined companies such as Google, Amazon, and Mattel for similar violations. The FTC continues to emphasize the importance of protecting children's privacy online and will continue to take action against companies that fail to comply with COPPA.

Children's privacy at risk: Unauthorized tracking of kids' locations by robot playthings