The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) settled charges with InMobi, a mobile advertising company, for deceptively tracking the locations of hundreds of millions of consumers (including children) around the world (which the FTC charged is a violation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). InMobi will pay a fine of $950,000. The FTC alleged that InMobi gathered geolocation information on mobile device users without knowledge or permission and then utilized that information to serve geo-targeted advertising. InMobi misrepresented that it would only track consumers' locations if they opted in. However, according to the FTC complaint, InMobi was tracking consumers' locations even when consumers expressly denied permission to do so. The company did so by collecting information about the WiFi networks that the consumer’s device connected to or that were in-range of the consumer’s device. In addition to ceasing its deceptive practices like geolocating devices witho

School is almost out and that means your children will have more free time to browse the Internet (and hopefully play outside). June is Internet Safety Awareness Month--and a great time to remind ourselves to monitor what our children are doing online.  In today's digital age it's critically important that young internet users understand how to browse the internet safely. While some children may not have the necessary judgment to understand the consequences of sharing personal information or photos, other children may choose to break the rules. That's why it's important to have a discussion about this important topic with your children. Remember the risk that being online involves and talk to your children about how to be a safe internet user. Here are some tips to get the ball rolling: Open Communication - Inform your child that you will be monitoring his or her behavior and explain why. Set rules and discuss them with your child in advance.  Set Bou