FTC Puts Kids’ Smart Watch Companies in Time Out for COPPA Violation

Answering the centuries’ old question, it appears it is the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) that watches the watchmen. The FTC sent warning letters to a pair of foreign app developers cautioning them that their practices of collecting children’s geolocation data without parental consent may be in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”). The letters warned China-based Gator Group Co. Ltd. and recently-defunct Sweden-based Tinitell, Inc. that companies targeting U.S. children must comply with U.S. privacy laws regardless of where they are based. The FTC also sent copies of the warning letters to the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, which make the apps available to consumers. While the apps give parents peace of mind by enabling them to track their children’s location to ensure they are safe, that benefit is negated when parents are not aware that that information is being collected and stored…

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