FTC looking into privacy issues relating to childrens apps

With more and more kids using smartphones these days, the issue of digital privacy for the younger generation is reaching a fever pitch. As The Associated Press reports, the Federal Trade Commission recently investigated approximately 400 smartphone apps aimed at children to see just what kinds of privacy risks are the most prevalent.

In its report, the FTC claims that the majority of apps it studied don't adequately inform parents as to the type of data they could gather about the user. Things like social network logins, personal information and location data were all cause for concern, with the FTC noting that the apps have the power to forward this data to unknown third parties.

Unfortunately for parents who might want to avoid the most bold privacy offenders in the App Store, the FTC will not release the titles of the apps it surveyed, saying that it believes the issue is systematic. The report commends both Apple and Google for introducing new app policies that help make privacy guidelines more clear, but said that more could still be done.