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YouTube Has Been Accused Of Violating UK And Eu Data Protection Laws

YouTube Accused Of Violating UK And Eu Data Protection Laws

Recently, a lawsuit has been lodged against YouTube in the U.K. claiming violations of privacy and seeking major damages. According to these charges, Google-owned YouTube has unlawfully targeted up to five million under-13-year-old kids with addictive programs and collecting their personal data for advertisers.

A few days back, parents raised concerns over how marketers are violating COPPA rules and gathering kids’ personal data from the apps they are using. And now a reliable tech-giant YouTube has been accused of the same. It seems to keep kids safe online is very challenging these days.

How YouTube Apparently Violated The Laws?

A tech-justice nonprofit law firm Hausfeld and Foxglove has charged YouTube for unlawful data collection. They are seeking damages from YouTube of more than £2.5 billion (~$3.2 billion).

According to these firms, they filed the suit on behalf of children. Also, they claim that YouTube has no user practical age requirements. In addition to this, the platform also does not attempt to limit its usage by teenagers.

As far as YouTube is concerned, the tech-giant has never declared that kids under 13 should not use YouTube. They just point towards the existence of YouTube Kids, a dedicated kids’ app, launched in 2015.

Additionally, the law firm claims that YouTube gathers all the children’s data while they use their platform. The U.K. and EU law include special protections for children’s data, restricting the age at which minors can legally consent to their data being processed — in the case of the U.K.’s Data Protection Act to age 13.

So, after collecting data, YouTube might sell it to advertisers and further your kids’ online safety can be easily compromised in many ways.

How Can Parents Safeguard Their Kids?

Across the globe, kids have been extensively using YouTube as a general platform. There are pros and cons to this tool. A few days back, YouTube has launched a digital summer camp for kids.  It promoted responsible online surfing in this camp through arts, crafts, and online projects.

But as far as the data collection and using it for advertisement purposes is concerned, parents should safeguard their kids from this unlawful action.

The excellent way to monitor your kids’ online activities is to use child monitoring apps. Bit Guardian Parental Control is one of the best parenting apps of 2020 that ensures kids’ safe digital navigation.

Moreover, it works as an effective Android call blocker that blocks all the unsuitable apps on kids’ devices. It also offers remarkable screen time control features to limit your kids’ digital addictions.

Apart from YouTube, many dubious apps save your kids data to misuse it. Dating platforms such as Omegle save users’ data on the server and further predators can easily misuse it to threaten kids’ online presence.

To keep your kids safe on YouTube you should accompany your kids while he uses such a platform. Keep an eye on his online activities so you can protect him whenever he uses suspicious portals/YouTube channels.

In the matter of YouTube, the spokesperson says that the tech-giant already launched the YouTube Kids app as a dedicated destination for kids and they are always working to protect kids and families on YouTube. A general YouTube platform is not for children under the age of 13.

Mimansa Patel
About author

Mimansa is a creative writer who aspires to write anything and everything that adds value to the reader. Reading ,writing and conceptualizing makes her satisfied. When not writing she passionately enjoys travelling ,photography and voice-overing.Directing and producing short films are Mimansa's euphoria!
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