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Consumer groups charge Amazon violates Web privacy
Washington, Apr 23: Consumer groups charged on Tuesday Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. with violating a children`s privacy law and asked the US government to look into the matter.
Washington, Apr 23: Consumer groups charged on Tuesday Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. with violating a children's privacy law and asked the US government to look into the matter.
The online retailer collected e-mail addresses, birthdays and other personal information from children without their parents' permission and allowed them to post product reviews under their names on the site, the groups charged.
Both actions are illegal under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, a 1998 law designed to protect children from online predators by limiting the amount of personal information Web sites can collect from them. Violators face penalties of up to $11,000 per count.
An Amazon.com spokesman said the company was not subject to the law as it targeted an adult audience, and it took pains to keep children's personal information off the site.
"We sell products for children to adults with credit cards," said Amazon.com spokesman Bill Curry.
But the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Consumer Federation of America, and 10 other groups said in a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission that Amazon.com caters to children through toy sales and the use of bright primary colors.
While the site provides a special sign-in page for children under 13 who want to post reviews, that page provided no additional protections, the complaint said. Children were also able to sign in using the adult form, the groups said.
"With this collection of information comes responsibilities, and Amazon.com has not complied with those responsibilities," said Chris Hoofnagle, deputy counsel at EPIC.
Curry said a software glitch, since fixed, was responsible for the flawed sign-in page. Furthermore, the site could not possibly verify the ages of its millions of visitors, he said.
"I'm reminded of the New Yorker cartoon that says, 'On the Internet nobody knows you're a dog.' When we learn of inappropriate things on the site we take them down," Curry said. An attorney at the FTC acknowledged receipt of the complaint but declined to provide additional detail, as FTC investigations are typically not made public until a settlement has been reached.
"We appreciate EPIC bringing this to our attention and we will carefully review the complaint," said FTC staff attorney Elizabeth Delaney.
The FTC has settled eight cases since the law went into effect three years ago. In February, Hershey Foods Corp. . and Mrs. Fields Original Cookies Inc. agreed to pay a total of $185,000 to settle charges that their Web sites collected personal information without parents' permission.
Bureau Report
Both actions are illegal under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, a 1998 law designed to protect children from online predators by limiting the amount of personal information Web sites can collect from them. Violators face penalties of up to $11,000 per count.
An Amazon.com spokesman said the company was not subject to the law as it targeted an adult audience, and it took pains to keep children's personal information off the site.
"We sell products for children to adults with credit cards," said Amazon.com spokesman Bill Curry.
But the Electronic Privacy Information Center, the Consumer Federation of America, and 10 other groups said in a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission that Amazon.com caters to children through toy sales and the use of bright primary colors.
While the site provides a special sign-in page for children under 13 who want to post reviews, that page provided no additional protections, the complaint said. Children were also able to sign in using the adult form, the groups said.
"With this collection of information comes responsibilities, and Amazon.com has not complied with those responsibilities," said Chris Hoofnagle, deputy counsel at EPIC.
Curry said a software glitch, since fixed, was responsible for the flawed sign-in page. Furthermore, the site could not possibly verify the ages of its millions of visitors, he said.
"I'm reminded of the New Yorker cartoon that says, 'On the Internet nobody knows you're a dog.' When we learn of inappropriate things on the site we take them down," Curry said. An attorney at the FTC acknowledged receipt of the complaint but declined to provide additional detail, as FTC investigations are typically not made public until a settlement has been reached.
"We appreciate EPIC bringing this to our attention and we will carefully review the complaint," said FTC staff attorney Elizabeth Delaney.
The FTC has settled eight cases since the law went into effect three years ago. In February, Hershey Foods Corp. . and Mrs. Fields Original Cookies Inc. agreed to pay a total of $185,000 to settle charges that their Web sites collected personal information without parents' permission.
Bureau Report