Are Disney Apps Spying on Kids? Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against Entertainment Company
Disney has got itself in hot water, with a class-action lawsuit filed against the entertainment giant claiming that its apps are illegally gathering personal information from its users.
According to The Washington Post, the federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of Amanda Rushing and her child in California several days ago. Other consumers from 35 different states are also involved. Apart from Disney, the lawsuit also goes after Upsight, Unity and Kochava, software companies that have worked with Disney on the apps.
The suit alleged that Disney was carrying out "commercial exploitation" by obtaining personal user information and insight through the apps from users, including some who were 13 years old and below, and thus violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. It was filed at the U.S. District Court for the District of Northern California. At one point, the lawsuit also said that by using the trackers that may be hidden on the apps, people could gather information from a person's smart device.
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"COPPA imposes certain requirements on operators of websites or online services directed to children under 13 years of age, and on operators of other websites or online services that have actual knowledge that they are collecting personal information online from a child under 13 years of age," according to the Federal Trade Commission's website.
Being a large entertainment company, Disney has released several popular apps and 42 of them are included in the plaintiff's complaint. Some of these apps are "AvengersNet," "Beauty and the Beast," "Color by Disney," "DuckTales: Remastered," "Frozen Free Fall," "Olaf's Adventures," "Moana Island Life," "Star Wars: Puzzle DroidsTM," "Temple Run: Oz," "Where's My Water?" and "Where's My Water? 2."
Disney has already spoken up about the lawsuit and is determined to prove their innocence.
"Disney has a robust COPPA compliance program, and we maintain strict data collection and use policies for Disney apps created for children and families," a statement from the company read. "The complaint is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of COPPA principles, and we look forward to defending this action in Court."
Stay tuned for the latest news and updates.
