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ARTICLE · 23 AUGUST 2011

FTC Targets Mobile Application Developer For Violations Of COPPA

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
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In the FTC’s first enforcement action involving mobile applications, W3 Innovations, LLC agreed to pay $50,000 to settle charges that it violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the FTC’s COPPA Rule by collecting and disclosing the personal information from thousands of children under the age of 13 without parental consent.

United StatesMedia, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment
Cynthia Larose
Cynthia Larose
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In the FTC's first enforcement action involving mobile applications, W3 Innovations, LLC agreed to pay $50,000 to settle charges that it violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the FTC's COPPA Rule by collecting and disclosing the personal information from thousands of children under the age of 13 without parental consent. The settlement, which was announced August 15, also bars W3 Innovations from future violations of the COPPA Rule and requires the company to delete all personal information collected in violation the rule.

The FTC's COPPA Rule requires operators of websites or online services directed at children to provide notice and obtain "verifiable parental consent" before "any collection, use, and/or disclosure of personal information" from children under the age of 13. The Rule also requires that website operators post a privacy policy that is clear, understandable and complete. In announcing the settlement, Chairman Jon Leibowitz

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