Online ratings operator Yelp agreed to pay $450,000 to settle US charges that it illegally collected data on children, in violation of privacy laws, officials said Wednesday. The US Federal Trade Commission said that Yelp, from 2009 to 2013, collected personal information from children through the Yelp app without first notifying parents and obtaining their consent.
According to the FTC, several thousand children provided a date of birth showing they were under 13 years old, but that Yelp nevertheless collected information from them, including names, e-mail addresses and locations, as well as other information that they posted. The investigation found that Yelp's mobile app failed to follow guidelines under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA. The agency said Yelp did not adequately test its apps to ensure that users under the age of 13 were prohibited from registering.
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