Meta’s Virtual Reality-based Marketing Apparatus Poses Risks to Teens and Others

A coalition of more than 100 organizations is sending two letters to Congress urging action. A letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, from 145 organizations, urges them to advance KOSA and COPPA to full Senate votes. A letter addressed to House Energy and Commerce Chair Frank Pallone and Ranking Member Cathy McMorris Rodgers, from 158 organizations, urges them to introduce a House companion bill to KOSA.

Contact:

David Monahan, Fairplay david@fairplayforkids.org

Jeff Chester, Center for Digital Democracy, jeff@democraticmedia.org, 202-494-7100

Diverse coalition of advocates urges Congress to pass legislation to protect kids and teens online
60 leading advocacy organizations say unregulated Big Tech business model is “fundamentally at odds with children’s wellbeing”

January 26, 2022

Federal Trade Commission

Office of the Secretary

600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20580

Re: Comment on Petition for Rulemaking by Accountable Tech, FTC-2021-0070 

INTRODUCTION

CDD joins 23 other public interest, consumer advocacy, and civil rights groups in a letter urging the Federal Trade Commission to protect civil rights and privacy in the digital economy by initiating a new rulemaking, creating an Office of Civil Rights, and committing more resources to enforce against unfair and deceptive practices.

The Center for Digital Democracy and 23 other leading civil society groups sent a letter to President Biden today asking his Administration to ensure that any new transatlantic data transfer deal is coupled with the enactment of U.S. laws that reform government surveillance practices and provide comprehensive privacy protections.

The coronavirus pandemic triggered a dramatic increase in online use. Children and teens whose schools have closed relied on YouTube for educational videos, attending virtual classes on Zoom and Google Classroom, and flocking to TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram for entertainment and social interaction. This constant immersion in digital culture has exposed them to a steady flow of marketing for fast foods, soft drinks, and other unhealthy products, much of it under the radar of parents and teachers.

Contextual Advertising—Now Driven by AI and Machine Learning—Requires Regulatory Review for Privacy and Marketing Fairness

What’s known as contextual advertising is receiving a big boost from marketers and some policymakers, who claim that it provides a more privacy-friendly alternative to the dominant global surveillance-based “behavioral” marketing model. Google’s plans to eliminate cookies and other third-party trackers used for much of online ad delivery are also spurring greater interest in contextual marketing, which is being touted especially as safe for children.

General Comment submission
Children’s rights in relation to the digital environment