iOS devs pay $50,000 for collecting children's info in apps by Jacqui Chen
The parent company of Broken Thumbs Apps - a prominent iOS app maker responsible for games like Zombie Duck Hunt, Truth or Dare, and Emily's Dress Up - has today settled with the Federal Trade Commission over its apparent collection of children's personal data in its iPhone and iPod touch apps. Though the FTC has gone after other companies for similar violations, this case is the first focused on mobile apps.
Parent company W3 Innovations was targeted with an FTC lawsuit on Friday; the settlement was announced Monday morning. In its complaint, the FTC alleges that W3 "collected, maintained, and/or disclosed personal information" entered into its various kid-targeted apps-for example, the complaint claims that the company collected and maintained a list of more than 30,000 e-mails as well as personal information from more than 300 Emily's Girl World App users and 290 Emily's Dress Up users.
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... and if _that_ doesn't scare you, then think about this: had the company bothered to "partner" with an offshore entity to "sample" the emails, they could have done the same thing with complete impunity.
Bill Horne Moderator