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‘Fortnite’ made its debut in 2017 and quickly became one of the world’s most popular shooter videogames. Epic Games Inc. has agreed to pay $520 million to resolve Federal Trade Commission allegations that the “Fortnite” videogame developer violated online privacy protections for children and tricked players into making unintended purchases. The FTC said the agreement consisted of two record-breaking settlements that resolve a pair of civil complaints it was filing against Epic. One, filed in federal court, alleged the company violated the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal information from “Fortnite” players under the age of 13 without notifying their parents or obtaining verifiable parental consent.

☆ ‘Fortnite’ maker Epic Games to pay $520 million in record-breaking FTC settlement
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In a second and separate settlement, Epic will pay $245 million as refunds to consumers who were allegedly harmed by user-interface design choices the FTC claimed were deceptive. That agreement is the largest administrative order in FTC history, the FTC added. The FTC’s complaint and proposed settlement dealing with children’s privacy was filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina. In its blog post, Epic said it has agreed with the FTC to implement a feature that explicitly asks Fortnite users whether to save their payment information for future use. The FTC said that as part of its children’s privacy settlement, Epic may no longer enable text and voice chat by default for teenage Fortnite players or those under the age of 13.

☆ Fortnite's creator will pay a record FTC fine over allegations it vacuumed up private data about kids playing the hit video game
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Epic Games, which created hit video game Fortnite, was hit with a record-breaking $520 million fine to the FTC. The FTC alleged that the company violated a decades-old act protecting children's privacy. The agency also accused Epic of tricking young Fortnite users into buying in-game currency. Meanwhile, in a separate complaint, the FTC alleged that Epic Games tricked Fortnite users into making unwanted purchases by using "illegal dark patterns." The FTC settlement comes shortly after a Canadian Supreme Court judge authorized a lawsuit earlier this month against Epic Games.

☆ Fortnite maker Epic Games to pay $520 million in fines in FTC settlement
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Rohan Goswami | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Epic Games, the developer and publisher of the video game Fornite, will pay $520 million in fines to settle with the FTC over violations of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Epic will pay two fines, including a $245 million fine against Fortnite's in-game store and refund systems, and another $275 million fine to address child privacy concerns. Despite the deliberate decision to market to children, the FTC said Epic failed to "cure," or address, COPPA violations. "All the while, kids have been bullied, threatened, and harassed, including sexually, through Fortnite," the FTC complaint read. Only in 2019, "long after Epic obtained empirical evidence pointing to large numbers of Fortnite players" under the age of 13, did Epic introduce an age verification system.

WASHINGTON, Dec 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission, which enforces rules against deceptive practices, has contacted Twitter to ask if the company still has the resources to comply with a privacy consent decree, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Those concerns prompted the FTC last month to say it was "tracking recent developments at Twitter with deep concern. No CEO or company is above the law, and companies must follow our consent decrees," it said at the time. In a settlement in May, Twitter agreed to pay $150 million and assess potential features for data privacy and security issues. That settlement, in turn, was prompted by assertions that the company had violated a prior consent decree reached in 2011 after two data breaches, with Twitter pledging then that it would not mislead users about privacy protections.

☆ What to know about a judicial privacy bill Congress is passing with a major defense package
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Tierney Sneed | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

But the legislation is also rankling court watchdogs who contend the bill could complicate efforts to scrutinize the judicial branch for ethics issues. The bill does not displace the ethical disclosure requirements judges already face, the congressional aide noted to CNN. And it extends the threat-monitoring programs that are being offered to Article III judges to administrative judges as well. Now that the bill has been added to the National Defense Authorization Act, a massive defense package that Congress passes annually, Paul’s options for scuttling it are limited. “Because, if I am sued, someone is going to be bringing it to a federal judge.

☆ How Republicans are 'playing to the Fox News crowd' with attacks on TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Republicans are escalating their attacks on TikTok. “It’s playing to the Fox News crowd,” a person close to TikTok, who requested anonymity because they were not publicly authorized to speak on the matter, said on Tuesday. The posturing comes at a pivotal moment in the years-long negotiations between TikTok and the US government on a potential deal that aims to address national security concerns and allow the app’s continued use in the US. But, as The WSJ recently reported, the national security talks have hit a snag as pressure mounts on the company. But the type of action being taken by Republicans seems more geared toward playing to their base than anything else.

☆ Apple Plans New Encryption System to Ward Off Hackers and Protect iCloud Data
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Robert Mcmillan | Joanna Stern | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Apple Inc. is planning to significantly expand its data-encryption practices, a step that is likely to create tensions with law enforcement and governments around the world as the company continues to build new privacy protections for millions of iPhone users. The expanded end-to-end encryption system, an optional feature called Advanced Data Protection, would keep most of the iCloud’s data secure, even in the event that Apple is hacked. It would also prevent Apple from being able to provide data from iCloud phone backups in response to law-enforcement requests.

☆ A woman who mistakenly visited an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center said she was met with pushback for seeking an abortion: 'I just was not ready, and words can't make you ready for that'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Hannah Getahun | Isabella Zavarise | Katie Nixdorf | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Crisis pregnancy centers outnumber abortion clinics in the US. When she got to The Keim Center in Virginia Beach, it didn't look or smell like a medical clinic — it was too nice, too inviting. Unbeknownst to her, Estefanía had walked into one of the 2,000 crisis pregnancy centers, or CPCs, in the US. "Most of the folks that work in crisis pregnancy centers are people that are on a mission to end abortion." Researchers from Middlebury College have estimated that the extinction of national abortion rights means the number of people living closer to CPCs than abortion clinics will double, and CPCs will outnumber abortion clinics 1-to-5.

☆ Kids Online Safety Act may harm minors, civil society groups warn lawmakers
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Ranking Member Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks during a Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security hearing on Protecting Kids Online: Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube on October 26, 2021 in Washington, DC. Dozens of civil society groups urged lawmakers in a letter on Monday against passing a bill that aims to protect children from online harm, warning the bill itself could actually inflict further danger on kids and teens. The American Civil Liberties Union, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Fight for the Future and Wikimedia Foundation were among the groups that wrote to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Senate Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and Ranking Member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., opposing the Kids Online Safety Act. Sites would have to let their young users know when parental tools are in effect. The KOSA opponents warned that prescriptive parental controls could be harmful to kids in abusive situations.

San Francisco-based Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the security situation at the company. He echoed a pessimistic view among some Twitter users this week: The service might go down entirely under Musk's ownership. Verification serviceOn Friday, Twitter paused the rollout of its Twitter Blue verification service, intended to let users pay $8 a month for a verification badge. “The debacle with the Twitter verification is a really strong indicator as to what can go wrong,” Roger said. “When the verified Twitter users got hacked a few months ago, it was only a bitcoin scam, right?” Rogers said.

Almost all the funds, some $7.8 billion, flowed between Binance and Iran's largest crypto exchange, Nobitex, according to a review of data from leading U.S. blockchain researcher Chainalysis. The scale of Binance's Iranian crypto flows – and the fact that they are continuing – has not been previously reported. The total volume of Iranian transactions flowing through Binance is far greater than through any other exchange, the data show. The vast majority of the $8 billion in Iranian crypto transactions identified by Reuters involved the main Binance exchange. This October, the Treasury fined Seattle-based crypto exchange Bittrex $24 million for violating sanctions on Iran and other countries by processing crypto transactions worth over $260 million.

☆ Prosecutors won't seek the death penalty against ex-politician in Las Vegas reporter's killing
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

LAS VEGAS — Prosecutors said they won’t seek the death penalty against a former Las Vegas-area politician who pleaded not guilty Wednesday to killing a veteran investigative journalist who wrote articles critical of him and his managerial conduct. Local property records show the couple also owns a Las Vegas home with a taxable value of more than $320,000. Robert Telles, right, with Jeff German in his Las Vegas office in 2022. Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said he and a panel of prosecutors concluded that there were no qualifying aggravating factors to make Telles’ trial a capital case. The state Supreme Court has also suspended Telles’ law license pending results of a State Bar of Nevada investigation of allegations that he misappropriated funds of clients in his private law office.

☆ Startups Offer to Pay Consumers for Permission to Track Them Online
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( Katie Deighton | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Startups that pay consumers to track their online activity are struggling to attract users—and the advertisers they would draw. Growing privacy protections for internet users are breathing new life into an old idea: paying consumers for permission to track them as they surf the web. So-called paid-to-surf, paid-to-browse or browsing-rewards companies just need to get enough people to take the deal. Startups in this space usually offer browser extensions that collect anonymized data on people’s internet use much the same way that standard tracking tech does, with the goal of helping marketers target their ads to the right consumers. In return for installing those extensions and going about their browsing, consumers earn cash, cryptocurrency, discounts or gift cards.

☆ America's best tool to fight inflation and prevent recessions is facing a dangerous death spiral
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Austin Clemens | Erica Groshen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Threats to truthConsider the many benefits of having a source of trustworthy and publicly available economic data. Of course, private datasets, like those used by Opportunity Insights, the JPMorgan Chase Institute, and Earnest Research, complement federal statistics. In addition to competition from other sources, statistical agencies are facing a lack of money. Sustaining the future of statsThe good news is that statistical agencies are trying to keep up with the times. To continue producing this work, federal statistical agencies need a funding boost.

☆ Amazon dominates the $113 billion smart home market — here's how it uses the data it collects
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Katie Schoolov | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

Then in 2019, it paid $97 million for a mesh Wi-Fi system called Eero to help connect multiple smart devices in the home. Amazon's Eero mesh WiFi systems are shown inside the Amazon smart lab in Seattle, Washington, on September 9, 2022. Amazon's Ring Video Doorbell 4 is shown at the Amazon smart home lab in Seattle, Washington, on September 9, 2022. Or you may have actually told Alexa, 'Alexa, I'm leaving,' and to switch on your alarm system, for example," Koopmans said. Amazon's Smart Thermostat is shown inside the Amazon smart lab in Seattle, Washington, on September 9, 2022.

☆ TikTok could face a $29 million fine in the UK for failing to protect kids’ privacy
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON — TikTok may face a £27 million ($29 million) fine in the U.K. after privacy regulators found failings in the company’s handling of children’s data. “We all want children to be able to learn and experience the digital world, but with proper data privacy protections,” Information Commissioner John Edwards said in a statement Monday. In a statement to CNBC, a TikTok spokesperson said the company disagrees with the ICO’s provisional fine and plans to make a formal response. Last year, the Netherlands’ Data Protection Authority handed TikTok a 750,000 euro ($723,371) fine for violating the privacy of young children and failing to offer its information in Dutch. Western officials are worried the platform may be providing a backdoor to Beijing allowing it to snoop on non-Chinese users.

☆ UK could fine TikTok $29 million over children's privacy concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Washington (CNN Business) The UK said Monday it could impose a multimillion-dollar fine on TikTok after the government found the short-form video platform may have violated children's privacy. The potential fine of £27 million, or about $29 million, follows an investigation by the UK's data privacy regulator, which found that over the course of two years from May 2018 to July 2020, TikTok may have breached UK law by processing data of kids under 13 without parental consent. In a legal document notifying TikTok of the possible fine, the UK Information Commissioner's Office also said TikTok may have processed sensitive categories of data "without legal grounds," and may have failed to provide information to its users transparently enough. "We all want children to be able to learn and experience the digital world, but with proper data privacy protections," said Information Commissioner John Edwards in a statement . In a statement, TikTok said: "While we respect the ICO's role in safeguarding privacy in the UK, we disagree with the preliminary views expressed and intend to formally respond to the ICO in due course."

☆ UK could fine TikTok $29 million over children’s privacy concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Washington CNN Business —The UK said Monday it could impose a multimillion-dollar fine on TikTok after the government found the short-form video platform may have violated children’s privacy. The potential fine of £27 million, or about $29 million, follows an investigation by the UK’s data privacy regulator, which found that over the course of two years from May 2018 to July 2020, TikTok may have breached UK law by processing data of kids under 13 without parental consent. In a legal document notifying TikTok of the possible fine, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office also said TikTok may have processed sensitive categories of data “without legal grounds,” and may have failed to provide information to its users transparently enough. “We all want children to be able to learn and experience the digital world, but with proper data privacy protections,” said Information Commissioner John Edwards in a statement. “Companies providing digital services have a legal duty to put those protections in place, but our provisional view is that TikTok fell short of meeting that requirement.”In a statement, TikTok said: “While we respect the ICO’s role in safeguarding privacy in the UK, we disagree with the preliminary views expressed and intend to formally respond to the ICO in due course.”The ICO did not name the specific types of sensitive data TikTok may have mishandled under UK law, but in general the country places higher obligations on data that reveals a person’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, health status, sexual orientation and more.

☆ UK may fine TikTok $29 mln for failing to protect children's privacy
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterThe TikTok logo is pictured outside the company's U.S. head office in Culver City, California, U.S., September 15, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File PhotoSept 26 (Reuters) - Britain could fine TikTok 27 million pounds ($28.91 million) following an investigation that found the short-form video app may have breached UK's data protection law by failing to safeguard privacy of children using the platform. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has issued TikTok and TikTok Information Technologies UK Ltd with a "notice of intent", the regulator said in a statement. ICO's provisional view suggests that TikTok breached UK data protection law between May 2018 and July 2020. read more($1 = 0.9339 pounds)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Radhika Anilkumar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ TikTok could face a $29 million fine in the UK for failing to protect kids' privacy
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Ryan Browne | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON — TikTok may face a £27 million ($29 million) fine in the U.K. after privacy regulators found failings in the company's handling of children's data. The Information Commissioner's Office issued TikTok a "notice of intent" informing the Chinese-owned video app of its "provisional view that TikTok breached UK data protection law between May 2018 and July 2020." "We all want children to be able to learn and experience the digital world, but with proper data privacy protections," Information Commissioner John Edwards said in a statement Monday. "Companies providing digital services have a legal duty to put those protections in place, but our provisional view is that TikTok fell short of meeting that requirement." The ICO can issue a maximum fine amounting to 4% of TikTok's annual global revenues under the EU's GDPR, which is still enshrined in U.K. law.

☆ YouTube considers adding short-form videos to its YouTube Kids app, making kids' content the latest weapon against TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-07 | by ( Tom Dotan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

YouTube told creators of kids' content to start thinking about short-form content for its Kids app. If YouTube goes through with adding Shorts to its Kids app, it would mark an escalation in the battle between YouTube and TikTok. "At YouTube, when it comes to kids and families, our product and policy development is always centered on the safety and well-being of kids while helping them explore their curiosity on YouTube and YouTube Kids," a YouTube spokesperson said. The company first launched its Kids app in 2015 to corral all kids' content. But YouTube, which has stricter oversight of kids' content and more of a regulatory nod, could be a safer place to experiment with short-form content.

Read our review Read Our Review A looong arrow, pointing rightReview: Is the Discover it Cash Back the best credit card for you? If you prefer earning cash-back credit card rewards without paying an annual fee, the Discover it® Cash Back is a great choice. How to earn rewards with the Discover it Cash Back cardTo earn the most cash back with the Discover it® Cash Back, you'll have to activate the rotating bonus categories each quarter through your online Discover account. The Discover it® Secured Credit Card, for example, is geared to folks who are new to credit or rebuilding credit. When you open an eligible new Discover card, you'll be able to take advantage of Discover Cashback Match (called Unlimited Bonus with the Discover it® Miles).

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