LAWSUITS NEWS & LEGAL INFORMATION
Data Collection
New York, NY: (Jan-31-08) The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) brought charges against Industrious Kid, Inc., and owner Jeanette Symons, the operators of imbee.com, a social networking site specifically targeting kids and tweens, alleging that their data-collection practices violated federal law. The suit claimed that the imbee.com web site was promoted as a free, secure, social networking and blogging destination specifically designed for kids ages 8 to 14. The site stated that it was designed to ensure the greatest level of safety and satisfaction and was safer than other social networking sites.
The FTC claimed that imbee.com collected and maintained personal information from children under the age of 13 without first notifying parents and obtaining their consent. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices in connection with the collection, use, or disclosure of personally identifiable information from and about children on the Internet. The statute gives parents the power to determine whether and what information is collected online from their children under age 13, and how such information may be used. imbee.com violated this law by enabling more than 10,500 children to create imbee accounts by submitting their first and last names, dates of birth, personal e-mail addresses, parents e-mail addresses, gender, user-names and passwords prior to the site's providing notice to parents or obtaining their consent.
As part of a settlement reached, the company agreed to pay a $130,000 civil penalty as well as delete all personal information they collected and maintained in violation of the law. [MEDIA NEWSWIRE: KIDS DATA]
Published on Feb-3-08
The FTC claimed that imbee.com collected and maintained personal information from children under the age of 13 without first notifying parents and obtaining their consent. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices in connection with the collection, use, or disclosure of personally identifiable information from and about children on the Internet. The statute gives parents the power to determine whether and what information is collected online from their children under age 13, and how such information may be used. imbee.com violated this law by enabling more than 10,500 children to create imbee accounts by submitting their first and last names, dates of birth, personal e-mail addresses, parents e-mail addresses, gender, user-names and passwords prior to the site's providing notice to parents or obtaining their consent.
As part of a settlement reached, the company agreed to pay a $130,000 civil penalty as well as delete all personal information they collected and maintained in violation of the law. [
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