YouTube is facing allegations of harvesting children’s data in the UK.
Campaigner Duncan McCann made an official complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) against the platform for breaching British rules on how it stores data on those under 13.
McCann claims the video-sharing platform collects data on what content children consume and what device they are doing so on.
A YouTube spokesperson said: “We remain committed to continuing our engagement with the ICO on this priority work, and with other key stakeholders including children, parents and child-protection experts.”
The platform said its service was not intended to be used by under the age of 13. In light of this, they offered YouTube Kids, a child-friendly platform.
McCann – who works at internet campaign group 5Rights Foundation but filed the complaint as a private individual – is making the first complaint ever under the ICO’s code.
He said: “My preferred reform that YouTube should make is that actually when you enter YouTube, they don't collect any unnecessary and process any unnecessary information.
“The best way to ensure that they are only collecting the data of adults who are properly consenting would be to have a process where adults can sign in to the tracking, recommendation systems, profiling, targeted ads.”
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