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Court Finalizes $10 Million Disney Settlement Over Children’s Privacy on YouTube

A court order cements an FTC referral over mislabeled kid-directed YouTube content that enabled data collection from children.

Overview

  • Federal judges approved a stipulated order requiring Disney to pay a $10 million civil penalty following a DOJ case referred by the FTC.
  • The complaint says Disney failed to mark many YouTube videos as Made for Kids, allowing collection of under-13s’ data and targeted ads.
  • The order bars Disney’s units from operating on YouTube in ways that violate COPPA and requires a formal compliance program for future controls.
  • Regulators note Disney was alerted in 2020 when YouTube switched labels on more than 300 Disney videos, with uploads spanning over 1,250 channels.
  • Disney says the settlement concerns some content distributed on YouTube and does not extend to Disney-owned platforms such as Disney+.