The Federal Trade Commission finalized a settlement with a digital game maker over allegations it misled consumers about its membership in a program aimed at ensuring companies adhere to requirements of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
The FTC alleged that Miniclip, S.A., a Swiss-based company that makes mobile and online digital games, falsely claimed from 2015 through mid-2019 that it was a member of the Children’s Advertising Review Unit’s (CARU) COPPA safe harbor program even though Miniclip’s membership had been terminated in 2015. Under the FTC’s COPPA Rule, companies are deemed in compliance with COPPA if they are a member and adhere to the guidelines of an FTC-approved COPPA safe harbor program.
As part of the settlement, Miniclip is prohibited from misrepresenting its participation or certification in any privacy or security program sponsored by a government or any self-regulatory organization, including the CARU COPPA safe harbor program. Miniclip is also subject to compliance and recordkeeping requirements.
After receiving no comments, the Commission voted 5-0 to finalize the settlement.