These days many retailers, media companies, and other corporations regularly have their website or app accessed by children. But that doesn’t mean the website or app is necessarily safe: According to a recent study from the Global Privacy Enforcement Network (GPEN), 41 percent of a sampled 1,494 websites and apps from around the world could be problematic for children’s privacy.
The study, which collected data from 29 data protection regulators worldwide and whose results were released on Sept. 2 by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), revealed that 67 percent of the examined websites collected personal information from children. However, only 31 percent of websites and apps actually featured controls to limit this collection, and only 24 percent encouraged parental involvement in browsing the website or app.
