Disney and Unity accused of collecting children's personal information
More alleged COPPA violations in the US as 42 Disney games included in lawsuit
The Walt Disney Company is facing a lawsuit in California following allegations that its mobile games have been illegally collecting personal information from the children that play them.
Specifically, Disney Princess Palace Pets has been accused although the suit has been expanded to cover 42 other titles that are also reportedly guilty of the same offence, Gamasutra reports.
The lawsuit also accuses Unity, monetisation specalist Upsight and 'audience platform' Kochava for their involvement with these apps.
The plaintiff is arguing that Disney Princess Palace Pets collected her child's data without her knowledge, violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The other titles are also believed to fail compliance with COPPA.
Under COPPA, companies must have parental consent before they are allowed to collect personal information such as location or IP address from anyone under the age of 13. Violation can result in high fees, with the plaintiff also seeking relief and damages.
Disney has since defended itself, with a statement to L.A. Biz saying: "Disney has a robust COPPA compliance program, and we maintain strict data collection and use policies for Disney apps created for children and families. The complaint is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of COPPA principles, and we look forward to defending this action in court."
The news follows a similar case that emerged this week, where Subway Surfers developers Sybo and Kiloo were also accused of collecting and sharing kids' personal data.