Another day, another investigation involving Apple in the European region. Today’s news has arrived United Kingdom And Apple – and handles a suspicion, including 40 companies Google May pose a risk to Children Users of their sites.
According to Financial Times, Companies in question – in sections such as social media, online gaming, streaming music and videos – explore how they interact with younger users, including displaying personalized content and ads, using location tracking and “trigger” features. As automatically playing videos.
In the case of Apple and Google, in particular, it is doubtful that companies have taken adequate security measures to prevent underage users from downloading inappropriate apps for their age. It is also being investigated for alleged discrepancies in the app’s own rating, including the fact that some of them do not even have a recommended age limit.
Investigation Performed by Office of the Information Commissioner, An independent data protection authority under the UK Parliament, and launched after a letter 5 Rights Foundation – NGO dedicated to the protection of children and youth in the digital universe – points to problems in the practices of organizations.
According to voluntary charities, some activities of the organizations do not respect it Age-appropriate design code (Design code suitable for children), a series of guidelines issued by the UK Government for online services accessible to minors. The code is not a regulation and no company can be penalized for not following it; However, depending on the response of the companies involved, further steps may be taken to implement the recommendations.
The investigation is not exactly recent: the first phase of the process took place last August, but in recent developments only Apple and Google have been included in the investigation. Investigators contacted the companies to get answers to the questions examined and, depending on the outcome of the investigation, can take appropriate action to resolve the issues they identified.
However, there is no timetable for the work to be completed. Apple and Google have not yet commented.
Via Apple Insider
