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Tag: Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood

  • TikTok Accused of Violating Child Privacy—Again

    TikTok Accused of Violating Child Privacy—Again

    TikTok is in hot water yet again, with consumer groups accusing the social media company of violating child privacy.

    The Center for Digital Democracy and the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood are leading a coalition of some 20 children’s and consumer groups that have filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), accusing TikTok of violating a previous agreement with the FTC.

    In 2019 TikTok was fined $5.7 million for violating child privacy. As The New York Times reports, TikTok agreed to a number of changes designed to better protect the privacy of children.

    According to the NYT, “as part of the settlement, the video-sharing app agreed to obtain a parent’s permission before collecting their child’s personal information. It also agreed to delete personal information, including videos, of any children identified as younger than 13 and to remove videos and other personal details of users whose ages were unknown.”

    In spite of the agreement, it appears that TikTok has not followed through on its promise. This is just the latest issue the social media app has dealt with, as it has faced ongoing scrutiny over security and privacy concerns, with the Pentagon and some government agencies banning the app from employees’ devices.

    If the FTC finds that TikTok has reneged on its agreement, the company’s problems will only go from bad to worse.

  • NORAD Tracks Santa, Critics Hop On

    NORAD Tracks Santa has brought excitement to children around the world since 1955. The Christmas-themed program is produced under the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and has been found in various forms of media over the years: telephone hotlines, television, internet, and mobile media.

    But this year the program has come under attack. According to Yahoo News, a children’s advocacy group says the video on the website injects militarism into Christmas by showing fighter jets escorting Santa’s sleigh.

    This video on NORAD’s Santa website started the commotion two weeks ago:

    U.S. Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a NORAD spokesman, says that the fighter escort is nothing new, that jets began accompanying Santa’s sleigh in the 1960s, and insists that the fighters are unarmed.

    “We really do feel strongly that it’s something that is safe and non-threatening, and not something that would negatively impact children,” he said. “In fact, we think that it’s a lot of fun.”

    The Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood disagrees, saying that the video brings violence to a beloved tradition.

    This controversy has sparked up a lot of talk on social media sites like Twitter.

    The first 39-second video has gotten nearly 265,000 views on YouTube.

    “That’s way off the charts for any other videos we’ve done before,” Davis said.

    Now there is a second video, longer and fast-paced, on the NORAD site and YouTube called “NORAD Tracks Santa Command Video 2013,” which has already drawn over 121,000 views.

    “This is very much a fun and safe and nonviolent site that children of all ages can visit,” Davis said. “Parents can be confident their children will walk away (and) have had fun and potentially have learned something, too.”

    Fans of all ages can follow Santa on the web, Facebook, Twitter, by phone (starting 4 a.m. MST on Christmas Eve): 877-HI-NORAD, and even via email: [email protected].

    Image via Wikimedia Commons