Google could pay up $200M to settle FTC investigation into YouTube, report says

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The FTC has been worried about YouTube’s handling of children’s data, says a report.


Angela Lang/The Techy Trends

Google will reportedly pay between $150 million and $200 million to settle an investigation by the US Federal Trade Commission into alleged violations of children’s data privacy laws on YouTube, Politico reported Friday. Last month, The Washington Post reported that Google had reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with the FTC.

The FTC investigation found that Google improperly collected the data of children using YouTube, a breach of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, according to the Post. 

YouTube has reportedly been considering significant changes to protect its youngest content creators and viewers, including possibly moving all children’s content to the YouTube Kids app. The video site has also reportedly decided to stop running targeted advertising in videos aimed at kids. 

The FTC voted 3-2 to approve the settlement, said Politico, citing a person familiar with the matter. The settlement has reportedly been sent to the Department of Justice for review. It’s unclear what other terms may be included in the settlement. 

Neither Google nor the FTC immediately responded to requests for comment.