🎮💰 Microsoft Faces $20 Million “Parental Control” Fine: Xbox Caught Collecting Kiddie Data 😲👶
TL;DR: Microsoft gets a $20 million reality check for allegedly being the “candy van” of the digital world 🍭. They’ve been nabbed by the FTC for collecting personal info from kids via Xbox, without proper parental green light 🚦. Also, they retained the kiddos’ data for years, even when parents failed to complete account setup 🙅♂️. This lawsuit is aimed to ensure that the tech giant fortifies privacy protection for the under-13 gamers in the Xbox universe 👾.
Does Microsoft think it’s Santa Claus 🎅? Why else would they keep such a naughty list, right? Well, apparently, the tech giant decided to have a peek at kids’ personal info without mom and dad’s “okay” while they were busy playing games on Xbox. Sounds like an episode of Black Mirror, doesn’t it? But it’s a cold, hard fact 💥.
Remember how we all hated when we had to ask for permission to get an extra cookie?🍪 Well, Microsoft skipped the whole “asking” part and helped itself to the data-cookie jar. This “naughty behavior” caught the eye of the FTC, who swooped in like an eagle-eyed teacher and served Microsoft a “detention slip” worth $20 million. Yikes, talk about a pricey time-out! 🤑
But what did Microsoft do with all this data, you ask? Good question. They allegedly held onto it. For years. Even when parents didn’t finish the account setup process. That’s like keeping a diary of someone else’s life without their knowledge. Super creepy, don’t you think? 👀
Imagine Microsoft as that annoying cousin who doesn’t stop bugging you until you share your secrets. That’s pretty much what happened with the kids who created Xbox accounts. They had to provide personal info such as full name, birthdate, and even their phone number! All this, even if they indicated they were under 13 years old. We’d love to hear Microsoft’s explanation for this 🎤👂.
We get it, we all love promotions, who doesn’t? 🎁 But, a pre-checked box allowing Microsoft to send promotional messages and share user data with advertisers seems a bit fishy, doesn’t it? The users, remember, were kids who probably couldn’t even spell “privacy policy” yet! 😏
Now, hold up a minute… there’s a bit of light at the end of this data tunnel 🌞. Microsoft is now required to take actions to beef up privacy protections for its junior Xbox members. This includes extending COPPA protections to third-party gaming publishers Microsoft shares data with, and getting parental consent if the account holder is still a minor.
And the cherry on top of this whole fiasco? Microsoft was accused of not fully complying with COPPA’s notice provisions, and allegedly failed to disclose to parents all the information they collected, like their child’s profile picture. So, it’s like being caught red-handed stealing a cookie and lying about it too. Now that’s just double trouble, isn’t it? 😱
The underlying question, though, is why was there a necessity to collect such comprehensive data from kids in the first place? 🕵️♀️ And what about the trust we place in tech giants like Microsoft? With so much at stake, how much faith can we afford to put in these digital titans? Do you believe Microsoft’s latest actions warrant a reevaluation of their privacy practices, or is this just another drop in the data collection
