Broken Thumbs Gets a Thumbs-Down for Faulty Child Privacy Safeguards

In August 2011, mobile app maker Broken Thumbs was fined by the FTC and subjected to ongoing monitoring of its privacy practices after collecting information from young users. The FTC alleged that the company’s games collected information from children under 13 by encouraging them to e-mail comments and submit blogs, and then used this information for marketing purposes—without obtaining the required parental consent.