Home / Apps / News / Video: Disney S...

VIDEO: DISNEY SUED FOR ALLEGEDLY SPYING ON CHILDREN THROUGH GAMING APPS


Date: 2017-08-10
mobapp,apps,news,video,Disney,Walt Disney,sued,spying,children,gaming,lawsuit,class action lawsuit,California,Walt Disney Company,privacy,protection,laws,personal information,Disney apps,data,advertisers,parental consent,Upsight,Unity,Kochava,embedded software,online,plaintiff,Amanda Rushing,third parties,ad targeting,Children

Last week, a federal class action lawsuit was filed in California against the Walt Disney Company for allegedly violating privacy protection laws by collecting children's personal information from 42 of its apps and sharing data with advertisers without parental consent.

Disney and three software companies – Upsight, Unity and Kochava – have been targeted by the lawsuit alleging that the companies have created mobile apps aimed at children that contain embedded software to track, collect, and export their personal information along with information about their online behaviour.

A San Fransisco woman, the plaintiff, Amanda Rushing says she was unaware that information about her child was collected while playing Disney Princess Palace Pets, and that data was then sold to third parties for ad targeting.

The class action suit claims that this violates the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which was enacted by Congress in 1999. The act was designed to protect the privacy of children online. 

COPPA requires that companies who design apps for children under 13 years of age obtain consent from parents or guardians before collecting personal information. In 2013, the FTC revised COPPA, expanding what counts as personal information to include geolocation markers and IP address, among other things. In addition, the update requires third-party advertisers to comply with the rules.

In total, the lawsuit names 42 Disney apps that have run afoul of COPPA. These Include:

  • AvengersNet
  • Beauty and The Beast
  • Perfect Match
  • Cars Lightning 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
  • Zootopia Crime Files: Hidden Object

The plaintiff is seeking an injunction barring the defendants from tracking and sharing data collected without parental consent, as well as "appropriate relief, including actual and statutory damages and punitive damages," – plus all costs related to prosecuting the action.

Disney has responded to the lawsuit, saying: "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 faced COPPA violations – in 2011, the FTC levied a $3 million civil penalty against subsidiary Playdom after it allegedly collected and disclosed personal information from "hundreds of thousands of children under age 13 without their parents' prior consent."

Hopefully, the lawsuit ensures that the privacy and protection of children using Disney apps are secured.

 




Article Tags: Violation FTC COPPA Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Ad targeting Third parties Amanda Rushing Plaintiff Online Embedded software Kochava Unity Upsight Parental consent Advertisers Data Disney apps Personal information Laws Protection Privacy Walt Disney Company California Class action lawsuit Lawsuit Gaming Children Spying Sued Walt Disney Disney Video News Apps Mobapp

Recommended


You may also enjoy...

iMessage iPhone  iPhone  Android  Apple devices  Google  Android Messages iPhone message on Android

iPhone's best feature is coming to Android phones...

over 6 years ago

Amazon  Apps  News  Appnations  Android  Internet  Amazon Internet Chrome

Amazon made an efficient app to save data...

over 6 years ago

Spotify  Music streaming  On-demand playlists  Redesigned Spotify  Apps  Appnations  News Latest Spotify

On-demand playlists are coming with a new Spotify...

over 6 years ago

AppNations Productivity Apps Opera Facebook Opera data privacy Facebook data leak

Opera benefits from the Facebook data leak, boasting huge increases...

over 6 years ago



favicon
appnations.com © 2024