Google is fined $170m for collecting data on kids

Google will pay $170m to settle allegations that its YouTube video service broke United States federal law by collecting personal information about children, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said on Wednesday.

YouTube had been accused of tracking viewers of children’s channels – by using cookies obtained without parental consent – to deliver millions of dollars in targeted advertisements to those viewers.
The settlement with the FTC and the New York State attorney general’s office, which will receive $34m, is the largest since a law banning collecting information about children under age 13 came into effect in 1998. The law was revised in 2013 to include “cookies”, which are used to track internet viewing habits.