Google will pay $30 million to settle a class-action lawsuit accusing it of violating children's privacy on YouTube. The suit states that the company collected data from children watching videos under the age of 13, which violates the long-standing Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA ). Although data collection is common, the law explicitly prohibits the collection of children's information without formal authorization, making the case highly sensitive in terms of protecting the privacy of young users.
About 45 million people in the United States who watched YouTube under the age of 13 between July 1, 2013 and April 1, 2020 are expected to benefit from the settlement and receive small amounts of compensation. Despite the settlement, Google denied the allegations, asserting that it did not violate the law. The settlement aims to end the legal dispute and protect children's rights and privacy, while the company is working to strengthen its data protection policies to avoid any future cases.