According to the latest report, Apple and Google are among dozens of technology companies that are being investigated by the British data protection regulator, and these companies are accused of harming children online. According to the Financial Times, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office announced on Wednesday that it had contacted 40 companies in the social media, gaming, or video and music streaming industries to investigate how they interact with children.
Some of the areas the office is investigating include personalized content and advertising, tracking location, and behavioral prompts such as auto-playing videos. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said: Our intervention focuses on… those online services that have information that may not meet privacy requirements and have a high risk of potential harm to children.
Apple and Google were not among the companies initially contacted in the August survey, but are now included. The survey originated from a survey conducted in October by a children’s digital rights charity. The organization, the 5Rights Foundation, claims that some companies are systematically endangering children.
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In the case of Apple and Google, the organization found that they did not do enough to prevent underage users from downloading age-appropriate applications. For example, the report states that the app store that rates apps for age is clearly inconsistent with the age limit of an app. In some cases, the app does not have an age rating at all.
Denham said she contacted the other seven companies in the charity report, but did not disclose their names. The Office of the Information Commissioner may take formal action based on the investigation in the spring of 2022, depending on when it analyzes its findings.
As early as August, the new children’s regulations in the UK came into effect. The “Age-appropriate Design Code” outlines how companies should protect children online, and violations of the rules will be subject to the same penalties as the General Data Protection Regulation.