The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has made history by suing an online learning company, Edmodo, for collecting and using children’s data to target them with behavioral advertising. The proposed $6 million fine, which awaits a final ruling, comes one year after Human Rights Watch uncovered how Edmodo and other online learning products authorized by governments during the Covid-19 pandemic infringed on children’s privacy. Edmodo was a website and app widely used by children in kindergarten, elementary, and middle schools across the US until September 2022, when the company pivoted to only selling its product to governments. The company benefited from explosive demand in 2020, reporting a 1,500 percent increase in users in the first five months of the pandemic as governments and schools rushed to connect children to online learning.
