FTC Issues Warning Letters for Potential COPPA Violations

From Hunton:

On April 27, 2018, the Federal Trade Commission issued two warning letters to foreign marketers of geolocation tracking devices for violations of the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”). The first letter was directed to a Chinese company, Gator Group, Ltd., that sold the “Kids GPS Gator Watch” (marketed as a child’s first cellphone); the second was sent to a Swedish company, Tinitell, Inc., marketing a child-based app that works with a mobile phone worn like a watch. Both products collect a child’s precise geolocation data, and the Gator Watch includes geofencing “safe zones.”

2 thoughts on “FTC Issues Warning Letters for Potential COPPA Violations”

The law is the law, but clearly a parent has purchased these devices to track their children/pets/grandparents.

Or did the summary leave out some important data?

Dissent says:

May 13, 2018 at 7:46 am

This is the FTC’s press release on their letter to the two companies: https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2018/04/ftc-warns-gator-group-tinitell-online-services-might-violate

From that statement:

The online services offered by both companies appear to be directed to children and to collect precise geolocation information from children. The letters note that a review of both companies’ services reveal that they do not appear to provide direct notice of their collection practices and do not seek verifiable parental consent before collecting, using or disclosing personal information as required by COPPA.

So it may be as you say, that parents bought the devices, knowing what the devices do, but FTC says the companies need to be sure they have disclosed and have obtained verifiable parental consent.

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