Sega, iTriage Apps Fail Privacy Notice Test

Mobile apps by Sega and iTriage allowed third parties to collect and use consumers’ precise location for third-party ads without notifying users or obtaining their consent, said the Advertising Self-Regulatory Council in a Thursday news release. The Sega game, Sonic Runners, also raised issues under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, which says no personal information may be collected from children under 13 without obtaining parental consent. While the game used an age gate to meet COPPA, the gate didn’t function properly, ASRC said. Sega and iTriage cooperated with ASRC’s Online Interest-Based Advertising Accountability Program, pledging to comply with Digital Advertising Alliance standards in current and future apps. After Sega was notified about the problems, the video game company removed Sonic Runners from app stores and removed all third-party ads before offering it to the public again, while also pushing a mandatory update to all current users, ASRC said. Later this month, Sega will shut down Sonic Runners forever, said the company’s website. The Aetna-owned iTriage committed to stop using location data for ads and agreed to add real-time notice of data collection and use with links to an opt-out mechanism on its app and the iTriage and Aetna websites. They also pledged to be transparent and give users a choice to participate if they decide to allow third-party use of personal directory data or healthcare data for interest-based ads, ASRC said. “Today’s decisions are a win for both consumers and advertisers,” said Genie Barton, director of the Accountability Program.