Disney agrees to pay $10M to settle children’s privacy case: US Justice Department

'The Justice Department is firmly devoted to ensuring parents have a say in how their children’s information is collected and used,' Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate says.

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The department will take "swift action to root out any unlawful infringement" on parents’ rights to protect their children’s privacy, Shumate added. / Reuters

The US Justice Department announced on Tuesday that Disney has agreed to pay $10 million in civil penalties to resolve allegations that it violated federal children’s privacy law through its popular YouTube content.

“The Justice Department is firmly devoted to ensuring parents have a say in how their children’s information is collected and used,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division in a statement.

The department will take "swift action to root out any unlawful infringement" on parents’ rights to protect their children’s privacy, Shumate added.

According to the statement, in addition to imposing a $10 million civil penalty on Disney, the order bars Disney from operating on YouTube in a manner that violates the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and its implementing regulations (COPPA), and also requires Disney to create a programme that will ensure it properly complies with COPPA on YouTube going forward.