Is Google Helping Brands Target Minors?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Google has been accused of violating its own policies by helping advertisers target minors, raising concerns that it might be illegally collecting data on this demographic.
Three advertisers raised concerns when they were approached by Google representatives suggesting they target “unknown users” if they wanted to reach minors. This targeting reportedly began earlier this year when the company began a partnership with Meta to help the social media conglomerate reengage with younger audiences.
Google has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, claiming its policies are even stricter than the required guidelines. If the company were housing data that is knowingly on minors, it could potentially be violating the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
“We strictly prohibit ads being personalized to people under 18 – full stop,” said Google spokesperson Jacel Booth. “Our policies are reinforced with technical protections, which continue to work properly.”
Google is currently facing another lawsuit for illegally collecting data on Texas residents. The Texas Attorney General filed a lawsuit against the company in 2022 for violating the state’s biometric collection laws.
“Google’s indiscriminate collection of the personal information of Texans, including very sensitive information like biometric identifiers, will not be tolerated,” said Texan Attorney General Ken Paxton. “I will continue to fight for Big Tech to ensure the privacy and security of all Texans.”
The lawsuit could cost Google millions of dollars as each violation can be fined up to $25,000. Meta recently settled a similar lawsuit, dishing out $1.4 billion to the state.
“This historic settlement demonstrates our commitment to standing up to the world’s biggest technology companies and holding them accountable for breaking the law and violating Texans’ privacy rights,” Paxton said after the lawsuit was settled. “Any abuse of Texans’ sensitive data will be met with the full force of the law.”
Movieguide® previously reported:
Meta has agreed to pay Texas $1.4 billion to settle a lawsuit over Facebook’s unauthorized collection of biometric data which broke the state’s privacy laws.
“Unbeknownst to most Texans, for more than a decade Meta ran facial recognition software on virtually every face contained in the photographs uploaded to Facebook, capturing records of the facial geometry of the people depicted,” said the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
After two years of talks to settle the complaint, Meta has agreed to pay $1.4 billion for violating a 2009 Texas biometric privacy law. Per the law, each violation can cost a company up to $25,000; Paxton claimed Meta violated it billions of times.
These violations took place through Facebook’s “Tag Suggestions” feature which automatically gave users suggestions of who to tag while they were creating a post. Meta discontinued the feature in 2021 over larger concerns for facial recognition technology.
