Meta is facing more scrutiny for Safe approach for children. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) told Guardians in one statement that it is planning “further discussions” with Meta about Mission 2 The VR headset follows a recently established children’s rule that prioritizes the “best interests” of young users. The watchdog wants to determine if Meta’s headsets and VR services are sufficient to protect children’s privacy and data.
Baron Beeban Kidron, who developed the code, is concerned that Meta’s platform makes it too easy for children to log in and puts them at risk of abuse, harassment and obscene content. Meta may require a Facebook account (and therefore the user must be 13 or older), but that doesn’t mean it does a mandatory age check of the code. Kidron says kids can jump into potentially dangerous VR chat rooms just by “tickling the box” to say they’re old enough.
A spokesperson for Meta told Guardians The internet giants have “committed” to respecting child code and are “confident” their VR hardware meets the code’s requirements. The representative emphasized that the terms of service do not allow the use of the product by children under 13, but do not address concerns that children might bypass the policy too easily. The company promised a $50 million program to secure reverse developed in compliance with laws and regulations.
The UK could introduce multiple penalties if the ICO finds Meta in violation of the code. While officials may not do more than issue warnings, they can also fine Meta a fixed amount of up to £17.5 million (about $23.8 million) or more. % of its worldwide sales – more than 10 billion dollars. There’s at least some pressure on Meta to increase child safety in VR, even if it’s just to protect the company’s finances.
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