Over half of children's Android applications are gathering user information behind the scenes

By@ 4 dgraphic

Among Android applications, the proof that Google has passed the examination as "Designed For Families (Family oriented)"Family star badgeThere is an application attached. More than half of such apps have "problems such as collecting whereabouts and contact information without agreement", Google said these apps "Google can use with confidence", California University Researchers have announced.

Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies "Will not somebody Think of the Children?" Examining COPPA Compliance at Scale
(PDF file)https://petsymposium.org/2018/files/papers/issue3/popets-2018-0021.pdf

Thousands of Android apps potentially violate child protection law | Technology | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/16/child-apps-games-android-us-google-play-store-data-sharing-law-privacy

Report finds more than half of Android apps for children are in violation of COPPA - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/17242574/report-android-apps-children-violate-COPPA

Google's "For families"Certification is an effort to have users find" high-quality apps "that can provide amusement as well as educating young children by providing content appropriate for the child's age.

As another condition for certifying as "Family oriented", "Behavioral targeting advertisement"Advertisement and remarketing based on interests and interests", guidelines such as "clearly distinguish advertisements from the contents of the application", and laws for protecting the privacy of children "COPPAIt is an application that cleared detailed criteria such as observance of ".

For families and COPPA - Developer Policy Center


"Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies" by researchers at the International Computer Science Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley said, "Approximately 57% of the 5855 titles for children with Family Star badge in the Google Play of America are latent There is a possibility that it may violate COPPA in a specific way. "

Among surveyed applications, 4.8% are clear violations of "sharing location and contact information without agreement", 40% "share personal information without applying reasonable security measures", 18% There is a report result saying "Sharing of data that seems to be the purpose of forbidden behavioral targeting advertisement", etc, and the researcher said "The provider of the application is to protect the privacy of the child I ignore or ignore the contractual obligation I aimed. "

According to the report, 28% of the applications accessed confidential data protected by Android's permission, and 73% of applications that allowed access within those applications will transmit confidential data via the Internet The result proved to have been trying.

According to researchers, "Access to confidential data and sharing data on the Internet is not necessarily that the application violates COPPA, but the actions of these applications are all obliged by COPPA We will share data without getting parental consent ".

By@ pathum_danthanarayana

Consumer groups that are engaged in activities to protect children from commercialism "Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood(CCFC) 's representativeJosh Golin"Many children's apps share personal information with third parties through personalized marketing, COPPA is trying to protect them from children," commented.

Google spokesperson said, "We take the report of researchers very seriously and carefully investigate the findings.The top priority is to protect children and their families," Designed For Families ( For family program ", the application developer must adhere to guidelines beyond the standard Google Play policy.If you decide that the application violates our policies, we will take action. We are always thankful for research activities to make the Android community more secure. "

ByNiharb

It is not the first time that it became clear that apps and toys intended for children violate COPPA and collect personal information in this way. In 2017 "Disney collects personal information of children secretly with 42 game titles and shares it with advertisers"Was filed as a lawsuit. In addition, VTech of a toy maker collects personal information of a child without obtaining consent from parents, and said that it was a fine of 650,000 dollars (about 71 million yen) because it did not adequately protect the collected data We are already awake by being imposed.

Disney collects personal information of children secretly by 42 game titles and shares it with advertisers - GIGAZINE