Britain’s information supervisor has started assessing a formal complaint accusing Alphabet’s YouTube platform of unlawfully collecting the data of millions of minors. The allegation is that the streaming service illegally collected personal info from children without getting appropriate consent from parents and guardians. If found guilty, this would be in violation of agreed-upon regulations to protect child privacy online.
With the backing of the Five Rights Group, Duncan McCann – a father of three – has initiated this movement and filed a complaint.
According to McCann, the video-streaming platform violated a recent law preventing it from collecting data on nearly five million children’s “location, viewing habits and preferences.”
Governments across the world are striving to strike a balance between safeguarding social media users, especially children, from damaging content while respecting freedom of expression.
McCann declared that this massive, unauthorized social experiment for our children is an uncertain endeavor with unknown consequences. He further asserted that YouTube must alter its platform and delete the data it has collected to protect our young ones.
YouTube has gone above and beyond to ensure the safety of children and families online by introducing new data practices, launching an app specifically tailored for kids, as well as preserving their privacy with more shielding default settings. According to a spokesperson from YouTube, these steps have been taken in order to better protect minors on the platform.
Even in these trying times, we are dedicated to our ongoing work with the UK Information Commissioner’s Office and other important partners such as children, parents and child protection specialists,” a spokesperson declared. Our commitment is unwavering in tackling this urgent issue.
The Information Commissioner’s Office of Britain vowed to thoroughly inspect the complaint, with Deputy Commissioner Stephen Boehner emphasizing that “children should not be treated as adults when it comes to internet usage; their data deserves special protection.” In a press statement, he continued by highlighting that legal statutes are in place for this very purpose.
