Khaberni - The American entertainment and media group "Disney" agreed to pay $10 million to settle a case involving the collection of children’s data, as announced by the U.S. Department of Justice last Tuesday night.
The Department stated that a U.S. federal court approved a settlement agreement concerning a dispute between it and both "Disney World Services" and "Disney Entertainment Operations".
As per the settlement, Disney will pay $10 million in civil penalties to settle allegations by the Federal Trade Commission that it violated the Child Online Privacy Protection Act in relation to its video content on the "YouTube" platform.
The Child Online Privacy Protection Act prohibits electronic platforms from collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from children under the age of 13 without notifying and obtaining consent from their parents.
The government's complaint alleged that "Disney" failed to properly label its "YouTube" content as directed towards children, which led to the illegal targeting of advertisements and collection of children's data.
Brett Shumate, the Assistant U.S. Attorney General, said the department is "firmly committed" to ensuring parents' right to have a say in how information about their children is collected and used, adding: "The department will take swift action to eliminate any unlawful violations of parents' rights to protect the privacy of their children."
Disney's videos are among the most popular on "YouTube", achieving billions of views in the United States alone.
In addition to the financial penalty, the settlement prohibits Disney from operating on "YouTube" in a manner that violates the Child Online Privacy Protection Act on the Internet and requires it to set up a compliance program to ensure its future adherence to children's privacy protection.
