Advertisers at Risk of Unknowingly Collecting Children’s Data, Violating COPPA Laws

A total of 66 apps directed at children across Google and Apple app stores continue to share geolocation data with advertisers

A report by fraud detection platform Pixalate claims that a number of apps aimed at children are violating COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) by unknowingly sharing data signals.

Over 70% of the top 1,000 popular apps directed at children on Apple’s App Store and Google Play share people’s GPS signals or IP addresses with advertisers, potentially violating COPPA, according to the report.

The COPPA law prohibits advertisers from knowingly collecting user data like IP addresses and geolocation information from app users unless they have parental consent.

Pixalate, which creates services for app developers, found many apps did not request parental consent, meaning a higher rate of children’s data is potentially illegally shared with advertisers, the report alleges.

Both Google and Apple’s app store have seen a 4% increase in transmitting GPS signals to advertisers from the first quarter of...

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