The FTC orders WW International and Kurbo to destroy the algorithms built with unlawfully collected data.
WW International and Kurbo placed into the market a weight loss app addressed to children (as young as 8 years old) and collected personal data without the consent of the holder of parental responsibility.
From 2014 to 2019 Kurbo offered a weight-management and tracking service designed for use by children ages eight and older, teenagers, and families. Kurbo app tracks the individual food intake, activity, and weight, and also collects personal information such as names, email addresses, and birth dates.
From its launch in 2014 through February 2020, over 279,500 people used the Kurbo service. Age information entered for at least 18,600 of those users indicated they were children under the age of 13.
COPPA Rule requires that websites, apps, and online services that are child-directed or knowingly collect personal information from children notify parents and get their consent before collecting, using or disclosing personal information from children under 13.
On the notice. The App did not provide any notice to parents until November 2019, and even then did not solicit parental consent. The notice Kurbo provided on the website in November 2019 was deficient because it did not clearly and completely specify the categories of information collected from children.
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