Only 20% of the 400 children’s apps the FTC analyzed "provided disclosures about their data collection practices," the New York Times reported today – and the apps that did linked to long, dense privacy policies that few users could comprehend. The Federal Trade Commission's announcement does not surprise; it's an update of the Commission's report last February (see this). But it says "little or … [Read more...] about FTC still not satisfied with kid app privacy
Law & Policy
COPPA has likely increased minors’ risk: Study
If there were no Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, teens would be safer in social media, a new study from researchers at New York University indicates (pdf). Without COPPA, children under 13 would have little to no reason to lie about their age to set up a Facebook account, for example (this would be true of any COPPA-compliant site U13s want to join). We all know that, right? We also … [Read more...] about COPPA has likely increased minors’ risk: Study
Privacy policies made palatable (or at least digestible)!
No way anybody's going to abandon privacy policies anytime soon – not with the FTC's and others' calls for ever greater disclosure of mobile and Web services' privacy practices (e.g., see this). But no one reads them – even if they could get through all the legal verbiage without nodding off. Knowing this, Mozilla, the people who brought you the Firefox Web browser, and some privacy advocates … [Read more...] about Privacy policies made palatable (or at least digestible)!
Facebook’s privacy primer for new users
Hey, kids, if you want to get parents, grandparents, or aunts and uncles on Facebook, now's a better time than ever. FB now has a privacy primer for people who are signing up for the first time. "We’ve implemented these enhancements as part of our broader effort to integrate more privacy education into the new user experience," it says in Facebook's blog, acknowledging the "guidance on this … [Read more...] about Facebook’s privacy primer for new users
Real justice for child sex abuse victims
Amid all the coverage of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's sentence this week, David Finkelhor, who has been doing research about child sexual victimization for more than 30 years, offered some recommendations for what will go much farther toward reducing victimization – and restoring justice – than putting one monstrous offender away for a long time. In a CNN commentary, … [Read more...] about Real justice for child sex abuse victims