The report comes as concerns about data collection, privacy and recommendation systems powered by artificial intelligence have become an increasingly bipartisan issue in an era of deep political divisions. Some legislation has moved forward, most notably the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) 2.0, both of which have passed the Senate and recently advanced in the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
The report examined 13 platforms owned by the companies, including Twitch, Facebook, Messenger, Kids Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp, X, TikTok, YouTube, YouTube Kids, Snapchat, Reddit and Discord.
The report found that companies engaged in “vast surveillance” by collecting and retaining personal information about consumers, whether or not they are users of the companies’ platforms. Some companies purchased this information from data brokers, according to the report.
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