Bieber, Rihanna fan sites agree to $1 million FTC settlement for collecting information about children

Cecilia Kang reports:

The operator of fan sites for musicians Justin Bieber, Rihanna, and Demi Lovato have agreed to pay a $1 million fine for illegally collecting information about underage users, a violation of child online privacy  laws.

The Federal Trade Commission said the proposed settlement with New York-based Artist Arena still must be approved by a judge. An agency investigation found that the company collected the names, addresses, e-mail addresses, birth dates, and gender of children 12 years and younger without asking permission from parents.

Read more in The Washington Post.

This case is not up on the FTC’s site yet, so check back later for links to the complaint and proposed settlement.