The suit filed late 2020 on behalf of a 12-year-old, accuses TikTok of processing children’s data unlawfully. It seeks damages on behalf of millions of children and the claimant is being sponsored by the former Children’s Commissioner for England, Anne Longfield.
The Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU – a children’s safety program of the US Better Business Bureau) reports that TickTalk Tech failed to meet COPPA requirements, as it didn’t provide clear, non-confusing notice of information it collects on children and it doesn’t notify parents of practices as required by COPPA.
First-party data is the new whatever-commodity-you-think-is-most-precious (personally, I go with Fritos). So the lust to assemble more of it drives many industry deals. For example, TV measurement vendor iSpot recently bought Tunity, an app that lets users listen to TV audio in public places like bars, if you remember what those are. There’s some advertising revenue to be gained but the real value is tracking out-of-home TV viewing.
It’s tough to get brand safety right, but the industry keeps trying. IPG Mediabrands announced a new set of tools to find and block inappropriate ad placements, while IAS expanded its suitability measurements to include standards from the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM). Meanwhile, DoubleVerify admitted a mistake made brand safety on X/Twitter look worse than it really was in October 2023 and March 2024.