Google, Facebook, YouTube companies accused of violating the privacy data of children

• An open letter has sent to Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Microsoft to stop showing ads to children under the age of 18.
• Google-owned YouTube has been accused of illegally collecting data on five million children under the age of 13 in the UK.

To protect privacy data of children Members of parliament, academics and child welfare activists have written an open letter to technology companies, including Google and Facebook, urging them to stop showing ads to children under the age of 18 who use technology tools.

The letter alleges that displaying appropriate advertising to Internet users not only undermines their privacy but also puts the “vulnerable” younger generation under the pressure of unfair marketing.

The use of smartphones and the Internet is on the rise around the world. In particular, the use of technological tools that are becoming essential in the lives of the younger generation is raising privacy concerns.

The letter was written to companies including Google, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft to emphasize such issues.

At the same time, as part of another operation, Google-owned YouTube has been accused of illegally collecting data on five million children under the age of 13 in the UK.

The allegation comes as EU data protection laws prohibit technology companies from collecting data on teenagers.

It is the best evidence of the extent to which these companies are violating the law. It also reveals the extent to which children are subjected to strict surveillance before they reach the age of ten,” the letter said.

YouTube’s legal battle over privacy data of British children

The 23 people who wrote this letter to the world’s leading technology companies include British MP Caroline Lucas and medical psychologist Dr. Eli Hanson. The Friends of the Earth organization also signed the letter.

The global action plan argues that online advertisers not only increase the speed of consumers but also add pressure by providing them with unwanted advertising.

That aside, privacy lawyer Duncan McCann has single-handedly taken legal action against YouTube, accusing it of monitoring the Internet use of 5 million children in the UK in violation of UK and EU data protection laws.

In a lawsuit filed in the UK Supreme Court last July, the company put forward a strong response that the YouTube site was not built for children under 13.

McCann argues that every child who obtains data illegally should be paid at least 100 to 500 Pounds (approximately ten thousand to fifty thousand rupees in Indian currency).