They accuse Youtube of illegally collecting private data from minors

One of the privacy policies of the digital platform is that the use of the platform by children under 13 is not allowed

Recently the most popular video site in the world, Youtube, has been accused of illegally collecting some data that may be considered private and belonging to minors. This accusation was made by a group of juvenile defenders in the United States, who claim to be very alarmed by the misuse of the information that YouTube makes of its users, especially minors. Know the details of this serious accusation.

Too permissive YouTube

Activists in defense of the rights of minors argue that YouTube is too permissive with the content and information handled through their records and videos. If we review the use and privacy policies of the website we will realize that it is not developed for certain ages and therefore prohibits the use by children under 13, however the plaintiffs claim that there are many videos featuring children without the consent of their parents and that YouTube does nothing to prevent it. Currently many children under 13 even make use of a Youtube to Mp3 converter from time to time to download their music.

It is also stated that there are videos where clearly many minors transmit live many of their personal data, which can be used not only by the website, but also by the general public for different purposes. This is worrisome for parents, teachers and society in general, as little is known about who and with what intentions they visit the Youtube spaces daily. The web is a very large environment where many people review Internet news every day to be aware of many things, so we should not underestimate its scope.

What data are at risk

According to a group of 23 organizations that defend the rights of children, Youtube unscrupulously and without parental consent accesses many important data that no minor should show. These data include:

Names and surnames
Ages
Gender
Phone number
Satellite location

All this generates suspicion because there is great uncertainty about what is the destination of these data. In fact many plaintiff organizations claim that such data can be stored and then sold to interested parties without the knowledge or consent of the children and much less of their parents.

The formal complaint

After meeting and discussing the actions to be taken, the 23 social organizations in defense of the rights of children decided to go before the Federal Trade Commission, which will be responsible for estimating whether the accusation is appropriate. Remember that Google is the company that manages and regulates the data and security conditions and privacy of YouTube, therefore it is this company that must account for the improper use of data of minors.

It is not the first time that a company with such a high trajectory on the web is involved in a scandal involving the use of private data of people. Recently the Facebook social network has faced accusations admitted by the United States Congress where it is indicated for having used indiscriminately and without any consent the data of thousands of people to be used as an advertising element in the campaign of President Donald Trump. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg, the company's top manager, has just delivered statements before the corresponding court.

Google's response

By making known the accusation by groups for the defense of children, which indicate that from YouTube they collect data on minors without authorization from their parents, Google has said that YouTube is not designed in reality to be used by children under 13, so there should be no visitor flow or records of people under that age. It also points out that through its servers it is not traded or negotiated with information from any of its users, whether they are older or younger. A Google spokesperson says it is a priority at all times to protect the integrity of your data, users and visitors, and to a greater extent those of minors, so they have placed so much emphasis on their privacy policies to protect the more vulnerable.

Youtube privacy policies:

Do not access YouTube functions from another account without authorization.
Do not reproduce the content of YouTube on other websites without authorization.
The sale of access to the service is prohibited.
The use of the platform by children under 13 is not allowed.

Recommendations that as parents we must take into account to avoid certain situations