Child talent search agency improperly collected info on kids

Child talent search agency improperly collected info on kids, deceived customers: Feds

In the past couple of decades, the children’s talent industry has been booming. Although the number of children who actually land a profitable modeling or acting gig is tiny compared with the number of those who dream of hitting the big time, promoters are still making millions by stoking those dreams of success.

The Federal Trade Commission recently settled charges with Nevada-based Prime Sites, a web-based talent search company going by the name of Explore Talent. The FTC said the company not only “misled consumers about the benefits of its premium paid services,” but also failed to obtain parents’ consent before collecting personal information about the children. Explore Talent has agreed to pay $235,000 in civil penalties to settle the charges.

In its complaint, the FTC alleges Explore Talent violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by “collecting and disclosing children’s personal information without obtaining parental consent and by failing to detail to parents and the public its collection, use, and disclosure practices.” The federal law, which went into effect in 2000, regulates what and how websites may collect information about children 13 or younger. Specifically, it requires that operators of websites must seek parents’ permission before collecting personal information about younger users.

Read full article and learn more about Privacy Policy and COPPA here.

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Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It’s not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. Neither the author nor FTC Guardian, Inc. is endorsed by the Federal Trade Commission.