The FTC last week published a report on mobile apps for children that showed parents were not being provided with information about what data an app collected, who would have access to that data, and how it would be used. Last week the game Mobbles, in which children collect and care for virtual pets, was temporarily pulled from the Apple App store and Google Android Play store. Even more troubling, Nickelodeon tells parents that it complies with the law protecting children's privacy when it does not." Laura Moy, a lawyer at Georgetown Law's Institute for Public Representation, which prepared the complaint on behalf of the Center for Digitial Democracy (CDD), said: "It is disturbing to learn that a well known children's brand such as Nickelodeon is flouting basic privacy protections for children. The app is free to download, but is designed to encourage users to buy virtual "coins" that can be spent on items for SpongeBob like shoes or a frying pan, or to buy upgraded versions of the game. ![]() Nickelodeon was unable to be reached for comment. The advocacy group said the app's use of technologies such as unique device identifiers (UDIDs) allowed companies to send customised messages to individual children in the form of "push notifications" that required online contact information - considered personal information under the COPPA rules. "Nor does the app provide an adequate description of the personal information it collects or how it is used". "The SpongeBob Diner Dash game asks children to provide a wide range of personal information, including full name, email address, and other online contact information, without providing notice to parents or obtaining prior parental consent, as required by the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act," a statement said. It said their "deceptive" mobile marketing technologies had violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The Washington DC-based group urged the FTC to investigate Nickelodeon and mobile game-maker PlayFirst's privacy practices. Last week another children's app, Mobbles, was temporarily pulled after the CDD filed a similar complaint. ![]() The Center for Digital Democracy said children's email addresses had been collected without parental consent. Nickelodeon removed SpongeBob Diner Dash from Apple's iTunes app store after a US advocacy group contacted the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Children's data is collected through apps without parents' consent or knowledge, says the CDD
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