Sony, yours and my favorite MiniDisc purveyor, is being sued by the United States of America for gathering and disclosing information on kids without telling their parents. The suit, filed by the Federal Trade Commission, says that Sony violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The FTC is seeking an unknown amount of money and wants them to stop it with the kiddie collecting.
The FTC alleges that Sony’s music-related sites have collected ZIP codes, dates of birth, phone numbers, names and addresses. Additionally, the sites allow 13 year-olds users to register regardless of age, despite Sony’s policies that state the opposite.
Sony has begun taking its stroll around the neighborhood to chat with parents under the supervision of its newly-hired compliance officer and has agreed to pay a $1 million fine.