by A United States Senator has sent a letter to the FTC, asking the agency to open an inquiry into YouTube over its advertising practices targeting kids…
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) is requesting the Federal Trade Commission open an inquiry into YouTube’s kids’ advertising practices. More specifically, the lawmaker wants the FTC to force the video hosting site to adopt new policies.
US Senator Calls for YouTube FTC Inquiry over COPPA
Markey is one of the people behind COPPA or the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The Senator writes:
“I am concerned that YouTube has failed to comply with COPPA. I, therefore, urge the Commission to use all necessary resources to investigate YouTube, demand that Youtube pay all monetary penalties it owes as a result of legal violations, and instruct YouTube to institute policy changes that put children’s wellbeing first.”
The letter outlines a number of possible changes, including disallowing Google to collect any data on viewers under the age of 13. Another recommendation is to prohibit the platform from targeting kids with influencer marketing.
“Companies of all types have strong business incentives to gather and monetize information about children. Personal information about a child can be leveraged to hook consumers for years to come, so it is incumbent upon the FTC to enforce federal law and act as a check against the ever increasing appetite for children’s data.”
