FTC Says Ed Tech Provider Edmodo Unlawfully Used Children’s Personal Information for Advertising and Outsourced Compliance to School Districts

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has obtained an order against education technology provider Edmodo for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Rule (“COPPA Rule”) by collecting children's personal data without obtaining parental consent and using it for advertising purposes. Edmodo also unlawfully delegated its compliance responsibilities to schools. The FTC's proposed order prohibits Edmodo from requiring students to provide more personal data than necessary and emphasizes that education technology companies should not force parents and schools to provide personal data for online education.

The company is required to pay a $6 million monetary penalty, which will be suspended due to its inability to pay. Other provisions of the order include restrictions on data usage, banning the use of schools as intermediaries for parental consent, and implementing a retention schedule for data deletion. The FTC's action aims to protect children's privacy and ensure compliance with COPPA regulations in the ed tech industry.

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