iOS Game Developer Broken Thumb Apps Fined $50,000 For Child Privacy Related Charges

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COPPA is an act requiring website admins and mobile app makers to notify parents and obtain their consent to collect, use or disclose information about children. Apparently Broken Thumb Apps violated the act with several of their apps by collecting email addresses on their blog.

W3 Innovations, who does business as Broken Thumb Apps, developed iOS games such as Emily’s Girl World, Emily’s Dress Up, Emily’s Dress Up & Shop, and Emily’s Runway High Fashion. They also have a blog relating to the games called “Emily’s Blog” where kids post comments. It so happens that collecting “thousands of email addresses” of underaged children doesn’t make the FTC very happy:

“Let’s be clear: Whether you are a virtual world, a social network, or any other interactive site that appeals to kids, you owe it to parents and their children to provide proper notice and get proper consent,” Chairman Jon Leibowitz said. “Companies must give parents the opportunity to make smart choices when it comes to their children’s sharing of information on smart phones.”

Not surprisingly, W3 Innovations has been ordered to pay $50,000 in fines for violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and that’s definitely a clear warning other companies providing similar iOS content, and not only, should acknowledge.