Disney apps spying on children, lawsuit claims
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FOX NEWS - The Walt Disney Company has been slapped with a lawsuit claiming that more than 40 of its smartphone apps are illegally spying on children.
The class-action lawsuit alleges that Disney is violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The law, passed in 1998, was designed to protect the privacy of children online.
"COPPA imposes certain requirements on operators of websites or online services directed to children under 13 years of age, and on operators of other websites or online services that have actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information online from a child under 13 years of age," reads a summary of the law on the Federal Trade Commission's website.
The lawsuit claims that the apps have "trackers" installed into them, which can collect information such as geographical location, internet browsing history and other personal information. These items are then sold to third-parties for advertising purposes.
California resident Amanda Rushing filed the suit on Aug. 3 in a United States District Court in San Francisco.