Microsoft Fined $20 Million By FTC For Collecting Children's Personal Info On Xbox Without Parental Consent
The Federal Trade Commission has fined Microsoft to the tune of $20 million USD for illegally collecting the personal information of children on its Xbox console.
In the statement from the FTC, the government agency states that the Xbox sign-up process violates the Children's Online Privacy Protetcion Act. This is because it collects information without parental consent. Xbox, for their part, agreed to settle the matter, claiming it will «resolve a data retention glitch found» in its system, as well as amend its start up process.
Via the FTC statement:
“Our proposed order makes it easier for parents to protect their children’s privacy on Xbox, and limits what information Microsoft can collect and retain about kids,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “This action should also make it abundantly clear that kids’ avatars, biometric data, and health information are not exempt from COPPA.”
<p dir=«ltr» lang=«en» xml:lang=«en»>FTC will require Microsoft to pay $20 million over charges it illegally collected personal information from children who signed up for its Xbox gaming system without their parents’ consent: https://t.co/kgm0wFp2zG /1 #privacyThe act the sign-up process violated, the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, requires children under the age of 13 have their parents notified about any personal information that the digital entity might be collecting. The FTC statement says that even when users listed their birthdates as under 13 years of age, there was no prompt to get a parent involved, at least until 2021.
«It wasn’t until after users provided this personal information that Microsoft required anyone who indicated they were under 13 to involve their parent. The
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