Editing Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (section)

==Violations==
According to the FTC, courts may fine violators of COPPA up to $50,120 in civil penalties for each violation.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-20|title=Complying with COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions|url=https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions-0|access-date=2020-10-25|website=Federal Trade Commission|language=en}}</ref> The FTC has brought a number of actions against website operators for failing to comply with COPPA requirements, including actions against [[Google]], [[TikTok]], ''[[Girls' Life (magazine)|Girls' Life]]'',<ref name="FTCAnn01">{{cite web |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2001/04/ftc-announces-settlements-web-sites-collected-childrens-personal |title=FTC Announces Settlements with Web Sites That Collected Children's Personal Data Without Parental Permission |work=FTC Press Releases |publisher=Federal Trade Commission |date=19 April 2001 |access-date=22 June 2016}}</ref> [[American Pop Corn Company]],<ref name="FTCPopcorn02">{{cite web |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2002/02/popcorn-company-settles-ftc-privacy-violation-charges |title=Popcorn Company Settles FTC Privacy Violation Charges |work=FTC Press Releases |publisher=Federal Trade Commission |date=14 February 2002 |access-date=22 June 2016}}</ref> [[Lisa Frank]], Inc.,<ref name="FTCWebSite01">{{cite web |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2001/10/web-sitetargeting-girls-settles-ftc-privacy-charges |title=Web Site Targeting Girls Settles FTC Privacy Charges |work=FTC Press Releases |publisher=Federal Trade Commission |date=2 October 2001 |access-date=22 June 2016}}</ref> [[Mrs. Fields|Mrs. Fields Cookies]], and [[The Hershey Company]].<ref name="FTCReceives03">{{cite web |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2003/02/ftc-receives-largest-coppa-civil-penalties-date-settlements-mrs |title=FTC Receives Largest COPPA Civil Penalties to Date in Settlements with Mrs. Fields Cookies and Hershey Foods |work=FTC Press Releases |publisher=Federal Trade Commission |date=27 February 2003 |access-date=22 June 2016}}</ref>

In February 2004, UMG Recordings, Inc. was fined US$400,000 for COPPA violations in connection with a website that promoted the then 13-year-old rapper [[Romeo Miller|Lil' Romeo]] and hosted child-oriented games and activities, and Bonzi Software, which offered downloads of an animated figure "[[BonziBuddy]]" that provided shopping advice, jokes, and trivia was fined $75,000 for COPPA violations.<ref name="FTC_UMG04">{{cite web |url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2004/02/umg-recordings-inc-pay-400000-bonzi-software-inc-pay-75000-settle |title=UMG Recordings, Inc. to Pay $400,000, Bonzi Software, Inc. To Pay $75,000 to Settle COPPA Civil Penalty Charges |work=FTC Press Releases |publisher=Federal Trade Commission |date=18 February 2004 |access-date=22 June 2016}}</ref> Similarly, the owners of the [[Xanga]] website were fined [[United States dollar|US$]]1,000,000 in 2006 for COPPA violations of repeatedly allowing children under 13 to sign up for the service without getting their parent's consent.<ref name="SullivanFTC06">{{cite web |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/14718350/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130802043307/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/14718350 |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 2, 2013 |title=FTC fines Xanga for violating kids' privacy |author=Sullivan, B. |work=NBCNews.com |publisher=NBCUniversal Media, LLC |date=7 September 2006 |access-date=22 June 2016}}</ref>

In 2016, the mobile advertising network [[inMobi]] was fined US$950,000 for tracking the [[Geolocation|geo-location]] of all users (including those under 12) without their knowledge. The advertising software continuously tracked user location despite privacy preferences on the mobile device.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2016/06/mobile-advertising-network-inmobi-settles-ftc-charges-it-tracked|title=Mobile Advertising Network InMobi Settles FTC Charges It Tracked Hundreds of Millions of Consumers' Locations Without Permission|date=2016-06-22|work=Federal Trade Commission|access-date=2018-03-04|language=en}}</ref> Other websites that were directed towards children and fined due to COPPA include Imbee (2008),<ref name="FTCImbee08">{{cite web |url=http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2008/01/imbeecom-settles-ftc-charges-social-networking-site-kids-violated |title=Imbee.com Settles FTC Charges Social Networking Site for Kids Violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act; Settlement Includes $130,000 Civil Penalty |work=FTC Press Releases |publisher=Federal Trade Commission |date=30 January 2008 |access-date=22 June 2016}}</ref> Kidswirl (2011)<ref name="EngleKids11">{{cite web |url=https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/closing_letters/kidswirl-llc/110712kidswirlletter.pdf |title=Kidswirl, LLC, FTC File No. 112-3034 |author=Engle, M.K. |publisher=Federal Trade Commission |date=12 July 2011 |access-date=22 June 2016}}</ref> and Skid-e-Kids (2011).<ref name="FTCOper11">{{cite web |url=http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2011/11/operator-social-networking-website-kids-settles-ftc-charges-site |title=Operator of Social Networking Website for Kids Settles FTC Charges Site Collected Kids Personal Information Without Parental Consent |work=FTC Press Releases |publisher=Federal Trade Commission |date=8 November 2011 |access-date=22 June 2016}}</ref>

In February 2019, the FTC issued a fine of $5.7 million to [[ByteDance]] for failing to comply with COPPA with their [[TikTok]] app (then called Musical.ly). ByteDance agreed to pay the largest COPPA fine since the bill's enactment and to add a kids-only mode to the TikTok app.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2019/02/largest-ftc-coppa-settlement-requires-musically-change-its-tune|title=Largest FTC COPPA settlement requires Musical.ly to change its tune|publisher=Federal Trade Commission|date=February 27, 2019|access-date=February 27, 2019}}</ref>

Three dating apps by Wildec were pulled by Apple and Google from their respective app stores, after the FTC determined that the dating apps allowed users under 13 to register, that Wildec knew there were significant numbers of minor users, and that this allowed inappropriate contact with minors.<ref>{{cite web | url =  https://www.engadget.com/2019/05/06/app-stores-pull-dating-apps-after-ftc-complaint/ | title = App stores pull dating apps after FTC warning about underage users | first=  Jon | last = Fingas | date = May 6, 2019 | access-date = June 19, 2019 | work = [[Engadget]] }}</ref>

{{See also|YouTube and privacy#COPPA settlement}}
On September 4, 2019, the FTC issued a fine of $170 million to [[YouTube]] for COPPA violations, including tracking the viewing history of minors in order to facilitate [[targeted advertising]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/04/tech/google-youtube-ftc-settlement/index.html|title=Google and FTC reach $170 million settlement over alleged YouTube violations of kids' privacy|last=Fung|first=Brian|website=[[CNN Business]]|date=4 September 2019|access-date=2019-09-04}}</ref> Many notable social media platforms were subjected to scrutiny from the FTC, especially groups like Facebook where the platform had users ignoring COPPA guidelines since inception.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Boyd |first1=Danah |last2=Hargittai |first2=Eszter |last3=Schultz |first3=Jason |last4=Palfrey |first4=John |date=2011-10-31 |title=Why parents help their children lie to Facebook about age: Unintended consequences of the 'Children's Online Privacy Protection Act' |journal=First Monday |doi=10.5210/fm.v16i11.3850 |issn=1396-0466 |doi-access= free}}</ref> As a result, YouTube announced that as part of the settlement, in 2020 it would require channel operators to mark videos that are "child-oriented" as such, and would use [[machine learning]] to automatically mark those as clearly "child-oriented" if not marked already. In the settlement terms, channel operators that failed to mark videos as "child-oriented" could be fined by the FTC for up to $42,530 per video,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Guidelines for child-oriented content on YouTube|url=http://believedigital.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360011016240|access-date=2020-08-22|website=Believe Digital|language=en-US}}</ref> which has raised criticism towards the settlement terms.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/13/20963459/youtube-google-coppa-ftc-fine-settlement-youtubers-new-rules | title = YouTube's new kids' content system has creators scrambling | first1 = Makena | last1 = Kelly | first2= Julia | last2= Alexander | date = November 13, 2019 | access-date = November 22, 2019 | work = [[The Verge]] }}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JzXiSkoFKw| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/-JzXiSkoFKw| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live|title=Important Update for All Creators: Complying with COPPA|date=November 12, 2019|language=|publisher=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>  The decision came in terms that, despite good faith, created many issues among the content creators on the site. Users such as [[Ryan's World]], [[Philip DeFranco]] and [[TheOdd1sOut]] with vastly different content found themselves in conflict for their appealing content for children.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-14 |title=FTC Issues Orders to Nine Social Media and Video Streaming Services Seeking Data About How They Collect, Use, and Present Information |url=http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2020/12/ftc-issues-orders-nine-social-media-video-streaming-services-seeking-data-about-how-they-collect-use |access-date=2022-03-26 |website=Federal Trade Commission |language=en}}</ref> The following guidelines were implemented on the basis set by the following rules:

{{blockquote|The Rule sets out additional factors the FTC will consider in determining whether your content is child-directed:

* the subject matter,
* visual content,
* the use of animated characters or child-oriented activities and incentives,
* the kind of music or other audio content,
* the age of models,
* the presence of child celebrities or celebrities who appeal to children,
* language or other characteristics of the site,
* whether advertising that promotes or appears on the site is directed to children, and
* competent and reliable empirical evidence about the age of the audience.<ref>{{Source-attribution|{{Cite web |date=2019-11-22 |title=YouTube channel owners: Is your content directed to children? |url=http://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/blog/2019/11/youtube-channel-owners-your-content-directed-children |access-date=2022-03-15 |website=Federal Trade Commission |language=en}}|inline=y}}</ref>}}

In 2022, [[Epic Games]] settled a Federal Trade Commission complaint in part by agreeing to pay a $275 million penalty for COPPA violations. The FTC complaint alleged that Epic illegally collected personal information from children under the age of 13 and made it difficult for parents to get such information deleted. The full agreement included an additional $245 million to refund users who were manipulated into making unintended purchases.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Singer |first=Natasha |date=2022-12-19 |title=Epic Games to Pay $520 Million Over Children's Privacy and Trickery Charges |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/19/business/ftc-epic-games-settlement.html |access-date=2022-12-19 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The DOJ and FTC jointly filed a lawsuit against [[TikTok]] and its owner [[ByteDance]] for violations of COPPA in August 2024, asserting that the app collecting private information from minor users as well as to allow them to interact with adults and adult content.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/tiktok-lawsuit-justice-department-sues-company-child-privacy-rcna164907 | title = U.S. sues TikTok, alleging millions of child privacy violations | first = Kat | last = Tenbarge | date = August 2, 2024 | accessdate = August 2, 2024 | work = [[NBC News]] }}</ref>