Headlines:

• Reports have been leaked that claim that Google has been collecting data from the search habits of children.
• This information about children has been collected to allow Googe to serve them ads targeting children.
• This act is a direct breach of various federal laws that prevent any company from collecting data from children.

Various reports by analytics firm Adalytics have surfaced online that show the farce of Google following federal laws. In these reports, it has been shown that this megacorporation has been collecting the search data of children to serve them with targeted ads better.

You might say – “Doesn’t Google do that for all internet users to better serve us personalized search results and relevant ads?” While this statement is true, children are exempted from this rule as per the 2019 FTC settlement – something Google has signed.

This comes after Google promised to protect the privacy of children online as per the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) s per the Federal Trade Commission. This act, established in 1998, prevents any online portals from collecting online data from children under 13 unless they have the consent of their parents explicitly.

#Edtech companies, take note! Unpacking the @Edmodo Order – What It Means for Edtech Companies.
FTC announced that it obtained a $6 million order against @Edmodo for violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule (#COPPA Rule) & FTC Act.https://t.co/fekYFpYEgg

— Jennifer Womble →#FETC Jan. 23-26, 2024 (@JenWomble) June 25, 2023

Google has been accused of this before as well and was forced to pay a sum of $1470 million to “pledge” to stop collecting data from children in 2019. However, recent reports show that Google still hasn’t learned from its mistakes and has continued to collect data from children by disguising its ad trackers under other banners.

Plus, Google has been using this data to show kids ads made by companies like Verizon, Disney, and Hyundai, especially on cartoon-watching websites and nursery rhyme channels. Even Facebook and TikTok get a share of such information as well.

This is what Adalytics had to say:

Many advertisers were observed setting ad targeting cookies, persistent identifiers, and engaging in meta-data sharing with data brokers.

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