A $10 million settlement wasn’t the only consequence for Disney following the latest allegations of targeting children in direct violation of federal law.
Once the gold standard in entertainment for kids, deliberate moves to include homosexual and gender ideological content in their programming, as well as outspoken opposition to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, have found the Walt Disney Company routinely misfiring at the box office and beyond.
Following an agreement to pay a $10 million settlement made earlier this year, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday that a federal court officially resolved a case between the company — specifically Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. and Disney Entertainment Operations LLC — and the Federal Trade Commission with a stipulated order regarding the personal information of children younger than 13 years old.
“The Justice Department is firmly devoted to ensuring parents have a say in how their children’s information is collected and used,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate in a statement as part of a press release outlining the details of the order.
According to the initial complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Disney had allegedly violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) with its YouTube content. Those working on its behalf were said to have “targeted advertising toward children on YouTube and unlawfully collected children’s information without parental notice and consent.”
In addition to the $10 million settlement, the order from the court prohibits Disney from further violations of COPPA on YouTube and requires implementation of a program to ensure compliance.
As had been reported at the time of the settlement, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Chris Mufarrige appeared on the Fox Business Network and told Dagen McDowell, “Today’s settlement with Disney is part of the Commission’s broader focus on protecting children online. And what we found today, what we found in the settlement is that Disney violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which Congress passed to ensure that parents, rather than content creators, have control over their children’s data.”
“So as we learned in the investigation, we learned that Disney was actually frequently misdesignating videos, which led to Disney collecting data that they shouldn’t have,” continued Mufarrige. “And it also led to children watching harmful and, at times, inappropriate videos. Our order in the settlement ensures that parents moving forward can have confidence that their children are safe.”
Efforts at holding others accountable concerning harmful content and children also include the proposed App Store Accountability Act (ASAA), which would essentially remove the deniability of “actual knowledge” that users are younger than 13 by companies like Apple and Google.
No matter where the concerns may be, Shumate asserted in his statement, “The Department will take swift action to root out any unlawful infringement on parents’ rights to protect their children’s privacy.”
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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