FTC settles two Internet privacy complaints

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The Federal Trade Commission announced settlements of two privacy complaints on Tuesday, adding to a string of enforcement measures over the last year that focus on Internet privacy.

The FTC said Skid-e-kids’, an operator of a social networking site for children, settled a complaint that it collected personal information about 5,600 young users without permission from parents, a violation of children’s online privacy laws.

The consumer protection agency also announced a settlement with online advertiser ScanScout, which was charged with deceptively claiming that consumers could opt out of receiving targeted ads by changing their computer’s web browser settings to block cookies. But ScanScout used Flash cookies that users couldn’t block on their Web browsers. The site www.skidekids.com violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by allowing users under 13 to register for the site and provide personal information such as their date of birth, e-mail address, first and last name, and city of residence. According to federal law, companies must get parent’s permission before collecting information about minors. The FTC said the site’s operator, Jones O. Godwin, made deceptive claims in Skid-e-kids’ privacy policy about its data collection practices.


FTC settles two Internet privacy complaints FTC (FTC’s sidekicks release) FTC (FTC’s ScanScout release)