CARU Recommends Jump Start Modify Website, Revise Privacy Policy to Better Comply with Guidelines, COPPA
New York, NY – April 7, 2015 – Jump Start, operator of the website www.schoolofdragons.com, said it will revise the site’s privacy practices and its privacy policy, following an inquiry from the Children’s Advertising Review Unit.
CARU is an investigative unit of the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation. It is administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus. CARU monitors advertising to children in all media. CARU also examines websites and apps for compliance with CARU’s Self-Regulatory Program for Children’s Advertising – which includes guidelines on online privacy protection – as well as with the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
The website came to CARU’s attention through CARU’s regular monitoring practices.
The website features several changing animated backgrounds of dragons and fanciful scenery from the movie “How to Train Your Dragon.” Visitors to the site can participate in activities that include raises and training their own dragon. The site also features games, coloring pages, guides for raising dragons and a quiz about the dragons from the movie.
Following its initial review of the site, CARU questioned whether Jump Start:
- Implemented proper age-screening mechanisms, used in conjunction with technology, e.g., a session cookie, to help prevent underage children from going back and changing their age.
- Obtained proper verifiable parental consent prior to the collection or disclosure of personally identifiable information.
- Collected persistent identifiers that might be used to recognize a user over time and across different websites.
Further, CARU determined that the site’s privacy policy included contradictory information and did not comply with COPAA.
In response to CARU’s inquiry, Jump Start began modifications to the site and revisions to the privacy policy.
CARU noted in its decision that it was pleased the site operator “had agreed to participate in CARU’s self-regulatory program and implement changes to bring the Website’s privacy and advertising practices into compliance with its guidelines and COPPA.
Subscribe to the Ad Law Insights or Privacy Initiatives newsletters for an exclusive monthly analysis and insider perspectives on the latest trends and case decisions in advertising law and data privacy.
Latest Decisions
National Advertising Division Refers “Made in USA” Claims by Larose Industries d/b/a Roseart and Cra-Z-Art to the Federal Trade Commission
New York, NY – January 10, 2025 – The National Advertising Division referred advertising claims by Larose Industries, operating under the names Roseart and Cra-Z-Art, that its products are “Made in USA” to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) after Larose Industries failed to respond to the inquiry.
National Advertising Division Recommends T-Mobile Discontinue or Modify 20% Savings vs. ‘The Other Big Guys’ Claim; T-Mobile to Appeal
New York, NY – January 9, 2025 – The National Advertising Division recommended that T-Mobile discontinue or modify its advertising to avoid conveying the comparative claim that consumers can “save 20% every month vs. the other big guys” if they subscribe to T-Mobile in markets where Spectrum Mobile also...
In National Advertising Division Fast-Track SWIFT Challenge Behr Voluntarily Discontinues “No Comparable Product” Claim
New York, NY – January 8, 2025 – In a National Advertising Division Fast-Track SWIFT challenge brought by Benjamin Moore, Behr voluntarily discontinued its “No Comparable Product” claim.
National Advertising Division Finds Charter’s “Unlimited” Claims Supported; Recommends Clear & Conspicuous Speed Limitation Disclosures
New York, NY – January 7, 2025 – The National Advertising Division found that Charter substantiated certain express and implied claims about its Spectrum Mobile “Unlimited” and “Unlimited Plus” wireless data plans but recommended that Charter modify its website advertising to disclose high speed data...