UK Regulators Will Check YouTube Allegedly Collect Children's Data Illegally

YouTube, accused of illegally collecting data from millions of children. (photo: Twitter @youtube)

JAKARTA - The UK information regulator said on Wednesday March 1 that it would review an official complaint accusing Alphabet Inc's video-streaming platform YouTube of illegally collecting data from millions of children.

The complaint was carried out by a father of three named Duncan McCann, who is the leader of the campaign and is backed by his group of 5Rights advocacy. McCann said that YouTube had violated the newly implemented law by collecting "locations, viewing habits, and preferences" from up to 5 million children.

The law aims to protect social media users, especially children, from harmful content without destroying free speech.

McCann said that YouTube should change the design of its platform and delete the data it has collected. "This is a huge social experiment that doesn't have a license on our children with uncertain consequences," McCann said.

A YouTube spokesperson said they had taken steps to improve child privacy with more protective default settings, and made investments to protect children and families by launching children's custom apps and introducing new practices in data collection.

"Our party remains committed to continuing our engagement with the ICO (Information Commissioner Commission) in this priority work, and with other key stakeholders including children, parents, and child protection experts," a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement.

The Children's Code UK requires service providers to meet 15 design and privacy standards to protect children, including limiting location collection and other personal data.

In 2019, YouTube was fined $170 million by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to settle allegations that it violated federal law by gathering personal information about children.