The U.S. regulatory authorities made the announcement on Thursday declaring that Playdom, online children game company recently acquired by Walt Disney, has agreed to pay a fine of $3 million in order to settle the charges proved against the online game star. The major allegation in the lawsuit accused Playdom of illegally gathering information regarding their underage users without their or their parents consent. The officials informed that Playdom actually went against the law, when it asked the underage players to fill up information with the proper approval of their parents or guardians. Furthermore FTC, Federal Trade Commission, stated that this information was than even shared publically in the online game community.
Image via WikipediaThe chairman of FTC, Jon Leibowitz, was addressing the media in a press conference when he stated that "Let's be clear: Whether you are a virtual world, a social network, or any other interactive site that appeals to kids, you owe it to parents and their children to provide proper notice and get proper consent." He went on elaborating that "It's the law, it's the right thing to do, and, as today's settlement demonstrates, violating COPPA will not come cheap."