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back to article 'Kids' apps STILL siphoning too much info from mobes' - FTC boss

Mobile apps are still collecting children's personal details from their phones without their consent, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned today in a report on privacy intrusions. The watchdog analysed 400 popular children's apps available for Google Android and Apple iOS devices, and found that the applications continue …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Lots of small developers you don't know and people trusting them. Easier APIs for grabbing data and often no firewall to catch them sending off the data.

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    1. LarsG
      Reply Icon
      Meh

      Kids aps, I never download them if there are in ap purchases, or where they produce ad banners, you'd be surprised what can appear.

      Kids aps should not harvest any information. Why would they need to know my 3 year old is using my tablet, what kind of ads could they possibly want to show her?

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  2. The Cube
    Stop

    Treat them like the pirates they are

    Simple fix, the US government has set the standard with DMCA, these companies are guilty of personal information sharing, let's use the file sharing penalties.

    State that each sharing of each person's data is worth $1 and assume that the advermin it is shared with will milk it 100 times. The app developer should be fined $100 per person whose data they have stolen and shared.

    Apply the punitive sharing penalty to the store operator Apple or Google, the app developer and the advermin tracking network, collect all the fines and give them to the EFF.

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  3. Tom 35

    ads again

    So once again the advertisers wanting to track everything is half the problem.

    1 0
  4. Someone Else Silver badge
    Big Brother

    What I don't get is...

    ...why this is bad when it happens to kids, but OK when it happens to grown-ups? Seems to me that it's bad, period, regardless of the age of the app user.

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    1. Invidious Aardvark
      Reply Icon
      Childcatcher

      Re: What I don't get is...

      Because "think of the children" is so compelling. It's a battle cry that is used for both good and bad causes. I get equally annoyed when the news runs a story that, e.g. 3 children were killed. Oh, and 10 other people too.

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      1. Ragarath
        Reply Icon

        Re: What I don't get is...

        It's not that it is worse when it is children but that often the children cannot read, nor understand the implications of what is occurring.

        I hope that you as an adult are able to decide for yourself if you should use an app.

        My children are not allowed to use an app I have not personally downloaded an vetted, and even more paranoid when in use is not allowed to be connected to a network.

        IMO the makers of these devices should have to put a child mode on. So that it stops purchases, downloads, collection of data etc. The reason I think this is because these devices are becoming the be all and end all, you can do almost everything via them and they are becoming the "game consoles" of the era.

        Of course, parents should always be aware of what their children are doing, but with apps, any app, can you really expect every parent or even every lay person to know what it is doing?

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  5. ChrisInAStrangeLand
    FAIL

    No parenting needed.

    The solution to this problem is the same as the web.

    Are you over 13?

    *"Yes, Buy Apps"

    *"No, Cancel".

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  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The solution would be to have legal protection from these f’king peasants. Of course this will never happen because those who are in it for the money, are allowed to get away with anything they can think of, without any recourse!

    I don’t want ANY information being shared, it's got F all to do with ANYBODY (Private or Public bodies) what I do/say/purchase/visit, etc....

    I'll investigate all options to keep my information secure and away from nosey bastards.

    I NEVER buy products because of advertising. If I need/want something, I'll investigate myself.

    I don't need to be spoon fed ads and I don't need these fucktards profiling me for ANY reason whatsoever.

    The first retard to mention "free stuff" needs to be headed.

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