YouTube under Fed investigation over allegations it violates children’s privacy

hawki · Jun 19, 2019

"The U.S. government [Federal Trade Commission] is in the late stages of an investigation into YouTube for allegedly violating children’s privacy,...in a probe that threatens the company with a potential fine and already has prompted the tech giant to reevaluate some of its business practices...

The FTC launched its investigation after numerous complaints from consumer groups and privacy advocates,...

The complaints contended that YouTube, which is owned by Google, failed to protect kids who used the streaming-video service and improperly collected their data in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a 1998 law known as COPPA that forbids the tracking and targeting of users younger than age 13...

Some of the problems highlighted by the YouTube investigation are shared by many of the most popular online services, including social-media sites, such as Instagram and Snapchat, and games such as Fortnite,...

The companies say their services are intended for adults and that they take action when they find users who are underage. But they still remain widely popular with children, especially preteens,..."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/tech...ges-childrens-content/?utm_term=.7bda61069020

mirimir · Jun 20, 2019

The complaints contended that YouTube, which is owned by Google, failed to protect kids who used the streaming-video service and improperly collected their data in violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, a 1998 law known as COPPA that forbids the tracking and targeting of users younger than age 13...
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How would they know how old Mirimir is?

So basically, they can't collect data from anyone. Because anyone might be a child. Maybe even a child using their parent's account.

Works for me

hawki · Jun 20, 2019

mirimir said: ↑

How would they know how old Mirimir is?

So basically, they can't collect data from anyone. Because anyone might be a child. Maybe even a child using their parent's account.

Works for me
Click to expand...

The Washington Post story may not be complete.

Last night, The New York Times also published a story about YouTube being under investigation by The FTC, but the emphasis of the NYT's story was that YouTube was pushing inappropriate content through the children's search channels.

So putting the two stories together makes more sense.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/19/technology/youtube-child-privacy.html

mirimir · Jun 20, 2019

NYT won't show me anything now. ******** Have an archive link?

hawki · Jun 20, 2019

mirimir said: ↑

NYT won't show me anything now. ******** Have an archive link?
Click to expand...

Link works for me.

mirimir · Jun 20, 2019

hawki said: ↑

Link works for me.
Click to expand...

You’re in private mode.

Log in or create a free New York Times account to continue reading in private mode.
Click to expand...

Ain't gonna' do any of that.

guest · Jun 22, 2019

YouTube can’t remove kid videos without tearing a hole in the entire creator ecosystem
June 21, 2019
https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/21/...ful-content-predator-comments-family-vlogging

As a federal investigation into YouTube’s problems with children enters its late stages, the platform needs a solution. But as YouTube struggles to find a fix that addresses policymakers’ concerns, it’s left with a major roadblock: children have become integral to the overarching creator community.

Whether it’s six-year-olds reviewing toys and landing on YouTube’s Trending page, kids’ reaction videos attracting millions of views, or top-tier vloggers teaming up with four-year-olds to create more family-centric content, the platform has become a destination for videos starring kids. [...] Family Video Network, told The Verge that people are devouring kid videos on YouTube.

It’s taken several steps to address the problem already, closing comments on most videos with kids, requiring minors to be accompanied by an adult when live-streaming, and removing thousands of accounts each week that belong to kids under the age of 13.
All of these solutions pose problems for YouTube.

“YouTube was never meant to be a place for kids and families. But it happened, and now we all need to try and figure out the best way to keep everyone safe,” said Hunter, who advises YouTube and family vloggers on how to protect kids.
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mirimir · Jun 23, 2019

It's a hard problem. Arguably related to UK efforts to age-restrict access to online porn.

I mean, how do you require age verification without eliminating privacy?

I don't see any way to require age verification that doesn't create a link between the approval check and and the meatspace ID that ultimately backs up proof of age. When you're doing KYC enforcement for financial business, there's no privacy to protect. I mean, you know, "know"

I suppose that some trusted site (and who would police it?) could handle registration, and then issue blind tokens on request. So that registry site would know who you are, and your age, all verified by meatspace ID. Users could provide some cryptographic proof to age-restricted sites, based in some one-way fashion on their account at the verification site, and that site would issue an access token if any of their accounts could have generated the proof.

There's probably some technical term for that. Maybe Merkle trees.

But even so, determined adversaries could deanonymize the process, given access to enough network traffic data, and site compromises. Still, maybe that's no more of a risk than adversaries deanonymizing whatever mix of VPNs, Tor, etc that you use.

Also, there'd be a market for age-verified account keys. But only maybe 10% of kids could manage that. And arguably they're so high IQ that age doesn't matter

guest · Jun 25, 2019

U.S. Senator and consumer advocacy groups urge FTC to take action on YouTube’s alleged COPPA violations
June 25, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/25/u...-action-on-youtubes-alleged-coppa-violations/

They’re joined in pressing the FTC to act by COPPA co-author, Senator Ed Markey, who penned a letter of his own, which was also submitted today.

The groups’ formal complaint with the FTC was filed back in April 2018. The coalition, which then included 20 child advocacy, consumer and privacy groups, had claimed YouTube doesn’t get parental consent before collecting the data from children under the age of 13 — as is required by the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, also known as COPPA.
The organizations said, effectively, that YouTube was hiding behind its terms of service which claims that YouTube is “not intended for children under 13.”

They include demands for YouTube to delete the children’s data and cease data collection on those under 13; implement an age gate on YouTube to come into compliance with COPPA; prohibit targeted and influencer marketing; offer detailed explanations of what data is collected if for “internal purposes;” [...]
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guest · Jul 8, 2019

FTC to Ask About Disabling YouTube Ads for Kids’ Privacy
July 8, 2019
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...-about-disabling-youtube-ads-for-kids-privacy

The chairman of the Federal Trade Commission asked children’s privacy advocates whether having video creators on YouTube disable ads could resolve concerns the site is violating laws to protect kids, according to a person familiar with the conversation.

The commissioners didn’t say if they were leaning toward the solution, nor did they concede the existence of the investigation, said the person, who requested anonymity to talk about discussions that aren’t public, although the high-level call appeared to be a sign that the agency is moving toward a settlement.
The two groups that participated in the call -- the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and the Center for Digital Democracy -- wrote in a July 3 letter released Monday, that it wasn’t clear that disabling the presentation of ads would stop data collection.
Shift Burden
"We are concerned about any remedy that would allow children’s content to remain on the main YouTube site and shift the burden of responsibility to content creators to opt out of ‘interest-based’ advertising," the letter said.
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hawki · Jul 19, 2019

"FTC approves settlement with Google over YouTube kids privacy violations...

The Federal Trade Commission has finalized a settlement with Google in its investigation into YouTube for violating federal kids' data privacy laws,...

The settlement — backed by the agency’s three Republicans and opposed by its two Democrats — finds that Google inadequately protected kids who used its video-streaming service and improperly collected their data in breach of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, which prohibits the tracking and targeting of users younger than age 13, the people said. The company is expected to pay a multimillion dollar fine,..."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/tech...ds-privacy-violations/?utm_term=.d579f7a68d0e

Breaking story -- no other details available atm.

guest · Aug 21, 2019

YouTube Plans to End Targeted Ads on Videos Aimed at Kids
August 20, 2019
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...o-end-targeted-ads-to-kids-to-comply-with-ftc

To satisfy regulators, YouTube officials are finalizing plans to end “targeted” advertisements on videos kids are likely to watch, according to three people familiar with the discussion. The move could immediately dent ad sales for the video giant -- though not nearly as much as other proposals on the table.
It is not clear if YouTube’s changes to ad targeting are a result of the settlement. The plans could still change, said the people, who asked not to be identified citing an open investigation.

Getting rid of targeted ads on children’s content could hit Google’s bottom line -- but this solution would be far less expensive than other potential remedies that aim to placate regulators.
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guest · Aug 28, 2019

Ahead of FTC ruling, YouTube Kids is getting a website
August 28, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/08/28/ahead-of-ftc-ruling-youtube-kids-is-getting-a-website/

Ahead of the official announcement of an FTC settlement which could force YouTube to direct under-13-year-old users to a separate experience for YouTube’s kid-friendly content, the company has quietly announced plans to launch its YouTube Kids service on the web. Previously, parents would have to download the YouTube Kids app to a mobile device in order to access the filtered version of YouTube.

By bringing YouTube Kids to the web, the company is prepared for the likely outcome of an FTC settlement which would require the company to implement an age-gate on its site, then redirect under-13-year-olds to a separate kid-friendly experience.
In addition, YouTube Kids is gaining a new filter which will allow parents to set the content to being preschooler-appropriate.

The announcement, published to the YouTube Help forums, was first spotted by Android Police.
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ronjor · Aug 30, 2019

Google to pay up to $200 million to FTC on YouTube probe: source

David Shepardson August 30, 2019
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc’s Google (GOOGL.O) will spend up to $200 million to settle a Federal Trade Commission investigation into YouTube’s alleged violation of a children’s privacy law, a person briefed on the matter told Reuters.
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guest · Sep 4, 2019

Google's YouTube to pay $170 million penalty for collecting data on kids
September 4, 2019
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...lty-for-collecting-data-on-kids-idUSKCN1VP1RR

Google, which is owned by Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), and its YouTube video service will pay $170 million to settle allegations that it broke federal law by collecting personal information about children, the Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday.

The settlement with the FTC and the New York attorney general’s office, which will receive $34 million, is the largest since a law banning collecting information about children under age 13 came into effect in 1998. The law was revised in 2013 to include “cookies,” used to track a person’s internet viewing habits.
YouTube said in a statement Wednesday that in four months it would begin treating all data collected from people watching children’s content as if it came from a child.
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Youtube: An update on kids and data protection on YouTube

ronjor · Sep 4, 2019

Privacy Advocates Criticize FTC's Google Settlement

Scott Ferguson (@Ferguson_Writes) September 4, 2019
Google to Pay $170 Million Fine for YouTube's Privacy Violations
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guest · Sep 9, 2019

YouTube promised to halt comments on kids videos already. It hasn't
September 9, 2019
https://www.cnet.com/news/youtube-k...chine-learning-ai-failing-to-suspend-disable/

Following a record $170 million penalty, announced Wednesday, for violating kids' data privacy, Google's YouTube pledged to disable comments, notifications and personalized ads on all videos directed at children. And its machine learning will police YouTube's sprawling catalog to keep kids videos in line, the company said.
One problem: YouTube's machine learning was supposed to be suspending comments on videos featuring young minors already. It hasn't.

After CNET contacted YouTube with a list of these videos, comments were disabled on nearly half of them.

"We invest significantly in the teams and technologies that allow us to provide minors and families the best protection possible," YouTube spokeswoman Ivy Choi said.
"Whatever they do, it's never going to be perfect," said Christo Wilson, a professor of computer science at Northeastern University. "We just have to accept that an adult could be flagged as a child, or it just doesn't see a child. Regardless of how much machine learning they have, they need to have some sort of human process behind the scenes."
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guest · Sep 10, 2019

Google faces probe over child privacy violations in Brazil
September 10, 2019
https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-faces-probe-over-child-privacy-violations-in-brazil/

Google is being investigated in Brazil over the potential collection of data belonging to children and teenagers for the purposes of targeted advertising.

According to the consumer rights department under the country's Ministry of Justice, Senacom, the web giant is supposedly collecting data from underage users such as location, the type of device used as well as phone numbers.
The company had already been notified by Senacom in August over other potential occurrences of privacy breaches relating to user location data. The investigation is still ongoing.
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guest · Sep 11, 2019

YouTube creators have begun shifting channels after FTC fine leaves futures in jeopardy
Creators describe it as ‘kind of detrimental’
September 11, 2019
https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/11/...-ftc-fine-google-childrens-content-toys-games

YouTube creators are already making changes to their channels out of fear that they’ll be unable to make money once the platform begins enforcing new limits around kid-friendly content.
Some of these changes include fully renaming channels to make them feel less kid-oriented, cutting out popular series dedicated to toys or games, taking up vlogging, and specifically shifting videos to target teens.

Due to the settlement, YouTube will have to stop collecting data on videos that are targeted toward kids under the age of 12 [...] For creators, this means any videos they make for kids won’t be eligible to run targeted ads, which they fear could dramatically reduce their revenue.
Their goal is to avoid losing revenue by being swept up in YouTube’s broad new category of kids content, which will go into effect on January 1st, 2020, while still keeping their fans happy.

YouTube still hasn't outlined exactly what types of videos will be affected or which creators will have to start planning ahead.
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Toya and Rob are two of those creators who are preparing for a significant impact on their business, and the only thing left to do is pivot.

“For us who have YouTube as a career, that is kind of detrimental,” Toya said.
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guest · Nov 14, 2019

YouTube’s new kids’ content system has creators scrambling
The government could sue them for thousands of dollars
November 13, 2019
https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/13...coppa-ftc-fine-settlement-youtubers-new-rules

Starting in January 2020, if creators mark a video as directed at kids, data collection will be blocked for all viewers, resulting in lower ad revenue, and those videos will lose some of the platform’s most popular features, including comments and end screens. It’s a major change in how YouTube works, and has left some creators clueless as to whether they’re subject to the new rules.

Reached by The Verge, Google confirmed that this new system was the result of a landmark $170 million settlement YouTube reached with the Federal Trade Commission in September for allegedly violating children’s privacy.
The new system is already sending creators reeling over what exactly is considered kids’ content and what could happen if they unintentionally mislabel videos.

“Creators are being held directly responsible by the FTC,“ Dan Eardley, who reviews collectible toys on his channel Pixel Dan, told The Verge on Wednesday. “So if the FTC decides that [we] are indeed targeting children, we’ll be fined. That is frightening.”
The consequences for not labeling a video as “child-directed” could be even more severe. In its September order, the FTC made it clear that it could sue individual channel owners who abuse this new labeling system.
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guest · Dec 9, 2019

YouTube asks the FTC to clarify how video creators should comply with COPPA ruling
December 9, 2019
https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/09/y...deo-creators-should-comply-with-coppa-ruling/

YouTube is asking the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for further clarification and better guidance to help video creators understand how to comply with the FTC’s guidelines set forth as part of YouTube’s settlement with the regulator over its violations of children’s privacy laws. The FTC in September imposed a historic fine of $170 million for YouTube’s violations of COPPA (the U.S. Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act).

“Currently, the FTC’s guidance requires platforms must treat anyone watching primarily child-directed content as children under 13. This does not match what we see on YouTube, where adults watch favorite cartoons from their childhood or teachers look for content to share with their students,” noted YouTube in an announcement.
Specifically, YouTube wants the FTC to clarify what’s to be done when adults are watching kids’ content. It also wants to know what’s to be done about content that doesn’t intentionally target kids — like videos in the gaming, DIY and art space, for example — if those videos end up attracting a young audience. Are these also to be labeled “made for kids,” even though that’s not their intention?, YouTube asks.

“We strongly support COPPA’s goal of providing robust protections for kids and their privacy. [...] We continue to engage on this issue with the FTC and other lawmakers (we previously participated in the FTC’s public workshop) and are committed to continue [sic] doing so,” said YouTube.
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Youtube: Our comment on COPPA

guest · Dec 26, 2019

YouTube reportedly considered screening all YouTube Kids videos
Numerous scandals marred its 2019
December 26, 2019
https://www.engadget.com/2019/12/26/youtube-screening-kids-videos/

YouTube paid the FTC a $170 million fine this year, which was pocket change for Google. However, the charge of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act will remain a very costly stain on its reputation.
In fact, things got so bad for YouTube when it came to kids last year that the site reportedly considered individual screening for every YouTube Kids video, according to Bloomberg.

The screening proposal advanced to the point that a press release was drafted. At the last minute, however, CEO Susan Wojcicki ditched the plan, according to Bloomberg's sources.
Apparently, such moderation would make the site too much like a media company. That in turn could open it up to the same kind of accountability faced by news publishers over copyright, threats, hate speech and more.

Wojcicki told CBS recently that "if we were held liable for every single piece of content that we recommended, we would have to review it."
"YouTube is so ill-equipped to manage these massive challenges," a former YouTube marketing manager told Bloomberg.
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Bloomberg: Inside YouTube’s Year of Responsibility

guest · Jan 3, 2020

What You Need to Know About YouTube’s New COPPA Child-Directed Content Rules
January 3, 2020
https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/ftc-rules-child-directed-content-youtube-1203454167/

Starting Jan. 1, YouTube started treating content aimed at children differently from everything else uploaded to the world’s biggest video site.

The changes are supposed to make YouTube a safer place for kids. The big problem is, nobody is sure what “child-directed content” means exactly, and producers and creators are worried they could be socked with thousands of dollars of fines or other penalties depending on how the rules are interpreted.
Other observers warn that the rules will have a chilling effect on YouTube content for tykes — and even videos aimed at older audiences, if they’re popular with kids. Here’s an explainer of the situation.
What are the changes? [...]
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guest · Jan 6, 2020

YouTube officially rolls out changes to children’s content following FTC settlement
‘These changes will have significant impact’
January 6, 2020
https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/6/2...children-content-gaming-toys-monetization-ads

YouTube executives have warned creators over the last few months that changes are coming to the platform to comply with a federal children’s privacy law.
Today, those changes enter full effect: targeted ads will now be restricted from running on kids’ videos, and kids’ videos will lose access to comments and some other community features. YouTube has said kid-focused channels will see “a significant business impact” due to reduced ad revenue.

YouTube will also begin running promotions for YouTube Kids, a separate app that filters the type of content users can see, on all kids’ videos. The app was launched by YouTube in 2015, and removes many of the features that are available on the main site.

“We also use machine learning to help us identify this content, and creators can update a designation made by our systems if they believe it is incorrect,” the blog post reads, noting that YouTube may label a video as made for kids if a creator doesn’t. “We will only override a creator designation if abuse or error is detected.”
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YouTube: Better protecting kids’ privacy on YouTube

guest · Jan 7, 2020

The FTC’s 2020 COPPA rules have YouTube creators scared
YouTube creators don't have access to kids' data—but may get COPPA fines anyway
January 6, 2020
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/01/the-ftcs-2020-coppa-rules-have-youtube-creators-scared/

Prior to YouTube's settlement with the FTC, its position was that YouTube's TOS excludes children, and its content is all "family friendly, but general audience" rather than being explicitly child-directed. It therefore it did not need to comply with COPPA regulations.

But moving forward, the FTC has put content creators themselves directly in its sights, stating—using both boldface and italic, so we know they're super serious—"COPPA applies [to YouTube content creators] in the same way it would if the channel owner had its own website or app." FTC chairman Joseph Simons underscores how serious the agency is about targeting creators directly by describing them in a press conference as "fish in a barrel."

[...] any YouTubers who post silly videos that kids might enjoy are now personally on the hook for up to $42,530 per video if they don't directly flag those videos as "made for kids."
So far, the solution seems obvious: if a bunch of kids like your stuff, then label it as for kids, right?
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Speaking as a parent, I'm glad that the FTC is taking the protection of children's data seriously, but I'm dubious of the way the agency is going about it.

[...] but the reality is that people have built entire careers around the production of popular, well-loved content both for children and for "child-hearted adults"—and those people have no control over how their viewers' data is harvested and used, nor do they have enormous legal teams to beat settlements down into "pocket change" territory as YouTube did.
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