Children ‘unprotected’ from tech giants, ministers told

CHILDREN are in the “absurd” situation of having to take on tech giants themselves over damaging algorithms, a peer has warned as ministers decided not to activate “class action” rights.

Baroness Kidron, chairman of the children’s rights charity 5Rights, said the move would leave children “unprotected” as individual families would struggle to take on the might of Silicon Valley behemoths.

Her comments come after the Government decided not to activate article 80(2) of the Data Protection Act 2018, which would allow charities to sue tech companies on the behalf of children over misuse of personal information.

Social media giants have previously been accused of misusing the data they collect on children to then expose them to dangerous content, such as self-harm images or inappropriate ads.

However, ministers said they did not see the need for the new rights as they felt the current and incoming data laws, which are enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), provide enough protection.

Proposals to activate 80(2) were also “strongly opposed” by tech companies and businesses which warned they could “lead to an acceleration in claims that is detrimental to firms, customers, the ICO, and the courts”.

Following the decision, Baroness Kidron said the decision undermined the Government’s pledge to make the UK “world leading” for online protections. She said: “It is absurd to suggest that we should leave it to children to understand the opaque and complex system of data processing.

“This is about making sure that children’s social media profiles are private by default, preventing tech firms sharing

‘This is about making sure that children’s social media profiles are private by default’

a child’s real time location and making them available to predators, stopping them sharing children’s data for commercial purposes and, importantly, preventing the insidious processing of a child’s data to recommend detrimental material.”

A government spokesman said: “Children and vulnerable people are at the heart of our commitment to make the UK the safest place to be online. Our data protection laws already offer strong protections and we continue to assist them in exercising their rights.”