Popular children’s mobile game developer Tilting Point Media (TPM) agreed to pay $500,000 to settle allegations the company illegally collected children’s personal data, a violation under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and a federal children’s privacy law.
TPM, developer of mobile game app SpongeBob: Krusty Cook-Off, allegedly shared children’s data without parental consent, a violation of the CCPA and the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced in a press release June 18. The game includes targeted advertising and in-app purchases.
The details: The game, a cooking simulation, is targeted at children under the age of 13, as well as teens and young adults, but TPM’s age verification didn’t encourage users to answer correctly, Bonta’s office alleged in a complaint.
The flaw in age verification misdirected children to a teen version of the game, with misconfigured third-party software improperly collecting and selling children’s data without parental consent, the complaint alleged.
Compliance considerations: As part of a proposed judgement, TPM must obtain parental consent before collecting data and implement a governance framework to ensure its third-party software is in compliance with the CCPA and COPPA.
Additionally, TPM must put in place a program to assess and monitor its compliance with the settlement terms, including providing annual reports to the California Department of Justice and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office.
Bonta warned in January that he planned to crack down on streaming apps suspected of violating the state’s privacy law.
“Businesses have a legal obligation to protect kids’ data and to comply with important state and federal privacy laws designed to protect children online. Failing to do this puts our kids at risk, leaving them vulnerable to having their personal data collected, tracked, and sold,” Bonta said. “As children spend an increasing amount of time online, both on websites and using mobile apps, we will use every enforcement tool to ensure compliance with the law and that companies exercise diligence with privacy law requirements.”
Tilting Point could not immediately be reached for comment.
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