I’m sure you’ve let your kids download some games to your mobile device(s) before. I certainly have. When I bought a Tablet, my daughter asked to download some fun games and in no time we had 10 new applications loaded onto my brand new machine. I don’t think I had even had a chance to learn how to find those apps, let alone download them. But it all comes so natural for our young ones.
So when I read this report, it made me sit up and take an extra careful look at the games my daughter plays. A new report from the FTC released on Feb 16 complains that software companies producing games and other mobile applications for kids aren’t telling parents what personal information is being collected from kids. This scares me as we’ve taken the time to have our daughter learn her address and our phone numbers for emergencies.
These apps could quietly collect a child’s location, phone number, call logs, list of friends says the report. The FTC is questioning the software companies’ approach for failing to explain what information might be recorded, for how long and who has access to that information. The FTC also brings into question the makers of the marketplaces and the security features they have in place to safeguard kids.
Perhaps it’s worth taking a peak at the apps your kids use on your mobile devices?
