Pixalate’s Children’s Privacy Index for Sellers helps the ad tech industry navigate compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
LONDON, January 16, 2024 -- Pixalate, the global market-leading fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform for Connected TV (CTV) and Mobile Advertising, released the December 2023 Children's Privacy Index for Mobile Advertising Sellers.
The monthly index benchmarks Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs) based on the percentage of ads they sell that are on apps that are likely child-directed, as assessed by Pixalate’s COPPA Methodology.
December 2023 COPPA Seller Trust Index Key Findings:
According to Pixalate's Q1 2023 Children's Privacy Risk Report for Mobile Apps, there are 859 U.S.-registered likely child-directed apps in the Google Play Store and Apple App Store that are likely subject to COPPA - and 23% of them are likely non-compliant with the Rule's disclosure obligations. These apps can pose a COPPA compliance risk to advertising buyers and sellers, and awareness of which apps are child-directed is an important step in mitigating compliance risks.
Visit Pixalate’s Knowledge Base for more information about the Children’s Privacy Index for Mobile Advertising.
What does low, medium, high, critical mean?
The possible designations for a seller are low, medium, high, or critical. Sellers with the least share of impressions within likely child-directed apps will be designated as “low” risk. Sellers with a highest comparative share of impressions (percentage of their total) within likely child-directed apps will be designated as “critical” risk.
What is COPPA - and why it matters for advertisers
For nearly 25 years, the privacy of children online in the U.S. has been governed by COPPA and its implementing Rule, which has come under scrutiny as regulators aim to address its application in today’s complex advertising ecosystem.
COPPA bars the collection of data from children under 13 without verified parental consent. Advertisers, ad buyers, and sellers are at risk of collecting childrens’ personal data from apps not clearly labeled as child-directed in the app stores. As the gatekeepers of the mobile app stores, Google & Apple are well positioned to provide clarity yet they do not require developers of apps targeting children to identify as such nor do they prominently feature that information in the app stores. Doing so would not only help parents protect their children online, but would also enable ad tech companies in complying with COPPA.
About Pixalate
Pixalate is the market-leading fraud protection, privacy, and compliance analytics platform for Connected TV (CTV) and Mobile Advertising. Pixalate offers the only system of coordinated solutions across display, app, video, and CTV for better detection and elimination of ad fraud. Pixalate's marketing compliance solutions encompass the industry's first COPPA Compliance Technology, designed to identify likely child-directed apps and potential compliance risks. Pixalate is an MRC-accredited service for the detection and filtration of sophisticated invalid traffic (SIVT) across desktop and mobile web, mobile in-app, and CTV advertising. www.pixalate.com
Disclaimer
The content of this press release, and the Children’s Privacy Index for Mobile Advertising, reflects Pixalate's opinions with respect to factors that Pixalate believes may be useful to the digital media industry. It is important to note, however, that a seller’s rating on the Children's Privacy Index for Mobile Advertising does not mean that the seller is failing to comply with COPPA. Further, with respect to apps that appear to be child-directed and have characteristics that, in Pixalate’s opinion, may trigger related privacy obligations and/or risk, such assertions reflect Pixalate’s opinions (i.e., they are neither facts nor guarantees); and, although Pixalate’s methodologies used to render such opinions are derived from automated processing and at times coupled with human intervention, no assurances can be – or are – given by Pixalate with respect to the accuracy of any such opinions. Neither this press release nor the Children’s Privacy Index for Mobile Advertising are intended to impugn the standing or reputation of any entity, person or app, but instead, to report findings and apparent trends.
