Published: 2014-09-23 22:12:45
The problem with Yelp apps was how that age-screening mechanism worked – or more accurately, didn’t work. People who registered on the app were asked for a date of birth, but regardless of what they entered, the Yelp app allowed them to sign up and gave them full access to all features.Yelp also collected certain information automatically from the phones of registered Yelp users. For example, to get metrics about its mobile user base, Yelp grabbed their Mobile Device ID, the unique identifier assigned to each phone. Furthermore, if people let Yelp offer them location-based services, the company used the device’s GPS to collect the user’s precise location. Given the flaw in the app’s age-screening mechanism, that meant Yelp was collecting personal information from users who said they were under 13 without parental notice and consent. According to the FTC, that went on from April 2009 to April 2013 on both the iOS and Android versions of the Yelp app – and in violation of the COPPA Rule.
