FTC Charges Artist Arena With Violating Kids' Online Privacy

The Federal Trade Commission filed suit against Warner Music’s Artist Arena -- which operates fan sites for music artists such as Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato and Rihanna -- for violating the online privacy of 100,000 children under the age of 13. Filed in the federal district court for the southern district of New York, the FTC is asking for a $1 million penalty plus a civil injunction against Artist Arena. According to the FTC’s complaint, the fan sites collected a host of personal information from children, including their birth date and email addresses, and gave them access to the site. Children were then asked to provide even more personal information before the site obtained parental consent as required under the Children’s Online Privacy Act.