“Google claims that YouTube is not for children under thirteen, and therefore, no consent is required. This defense is outlandish given that YouTube is the number one online destination for kids,” according to CCFC and CDD.
In addition, the consumer advocates wrote, “In short, Google has profited by violating the law and the privacy of tens of millions of children. For this reason, the FTC must sanction Google at a scale commensurate with the company’s unprecedented and unparalleled violations of COPPA. As we pointed out in our Request to Investigate, the maximum civil penalties should be imposed…”
CCFC and CDD claimed that Google collected the personal information of 25 million children using YouTube in the United States. The tech giant allegedly used the data for target advertising to generate big profits.
Google is allegedly ignoring children’s welfare
Furthermore, the consumer advocates alleged that Google is disregarding children’s welfare because violent, sexual and other inappropriate contents are available to children on YouTube.
