San Francisco, November 18 : .The UK’s data protection regulator is investigating dozens of tech companies following claims that they are endangering children online.
According to media reports, this includes Apple and Google. According to The Financial Times on Wednesday, the Office of the Information Commissioner announced that 40 companies in the music, video, and social media streaming sectors were contacted by the Office of the Information Commissioner to find out how they interact with children.
The office investigates areas such as personalizing content, advertising and tracking places.It also studies behavioural cues, like automatically playing video.
Elizabeth Denham, Information Commissioner said that online services are where information indicates poor privacy compliance and there’s a high chance of harm to children.
Apple and Google weren’t among the companies contacted back in August but were included in this report, citing FT.
This probe is the result of an October investigation by 5Rights Foundation, a digital rights charity for children.5Rights Foundation claimed that several companies had been systematically endangering children.
The group discovered that Apple and Google did not adequately prevent users under the age of 18 from downloading inappropriate apps.
The report states that apps stores with age ratings are inconsistent with the app’s bar.Some apps may not have any age ratings.
Denham stated that she had spoken to seven more companies as part of the charity report.
However, Denham did not reveal their identities, according to the report.
Based on its analysis of the results of the investigation, the Information Commissioner’s Office may take formal actions based upon the probe.This could be in spring 2022.
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