At Kidoz, we recognize the paramount importance of protecting children’s privacy in the digital world. This white paper outlines our commitment and comprehensive approach to ensuring full compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), particularly its provisions for children (GDPR-K). Through our technology, stringent policies, and transparent practices, Kidoz not only meets but exceeds the requirements set forth to safeguard children’s personal data.
Background
The digital landscape presents unique challenges and opportunities, particularly when it comes to advertising to children. Compliance with GDPR-K and COPPA is not just a regulatory requirement but a cornerstone of trust between families, brands, and content publishers. Kidoz has risen to this challenge, creating a contextual mobile advertising network that respects privacy while enabling sustainable revenue for app developers.
About Kidoz
Kidoz is a leading provider of child-safe digital advertising solutions. Recognizing the vulnerability of children in the digital ecosystem, we have embedded privacy and safety into the DNA of our services, ensuring a secure and positive online experience for our young users.
Key Provisions and Kidoz' Alignment
GDPR-K emphasizes several critical areas: the age of digital consent, data minimization, privacy by design, clear communication, and strict limits on data sharing and marketing. Kidoz adheres to these principles, implementing robust measures to comply with each requirement.
Kidoz' Approach to GDPR-K Compliance
Data Privacy and Protection Policies
Kidoz has developed comprehensive data protection policies that govern every aspect of our operations. From data collection to processing and sharing, we ensure the highest standards of privacy and security. Our policies are regularly reviewed and audited by 2 official certifiers, PRIVO and KidSafe.
Please find a case study, written by PRIVO about our effort regarding GDPR-K:
https://www.privo.com/kidoz-case-study
Consent Verification
In addressing the essential considerations surrounding the age of digital consent under GDPR-K, Kidoz adopts a universally cautious approach, operating on the principle that ALL users within our network are treated as if they are below the age of digital consent.
This policy underscores our steadfast commitment to privacy and safety, ensuring that no personal data is ever shared with third parties.
When responding to advertising requests, Kidoz meticulously removes any personally identifiable information (PII) from the transaction. This rigorous process ensures that every ad served through our network is entirely devoid of personal data, upholding our promise to safeguard user privacy at every turn. By default, we operate with the highest standards of data protection, effectively ensuring that our user base is shielded from any form of data sharing that could compromise their privacy.
Privacy by Design
From the initial stages of product development to each subsequent update, Kidoz integrates privacy by design principles. This approach means that every new feature, service, or product we develop undergoes rigorous privacy impact assessments to identify and mitigate risks to children's data privacy. Our engineering teams are trained to prioritize privacy, ensuring that the default settings for all our services are always set to the highest level of data protection.
Kidoz' Commitment to Clearly Labeled Advertising
Kidoz takes a transparent approach to advertising by distinctly labeling our ads, ensuring they are easily recognized as advertisements and not mistaken for content. This practice is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of our user experience, fostering trust among children, parents, and content publishers alike. By incorporating a clear, consistent watermark across all our advertisements, Kidoz guarantees that users can effortlessly distinguish between entertainment or educational content and promotional material
Ad Platform Innovation
In our pursuit of setting industry benchmarks for responsible and child-friendly digital advertising, Kidoz not only rigorously ensured its advertising platform met stricter GDPR-K compliance standards but also implemented an exhaustive manual review process. Every campaign and ad creative submitted to our network is meticulously examined by our dedicated in-house team. This hands-on approach ensures that all advertisements are not only relevant and appropriate for our young audience but also fully compliant with the strictest privacy standards.
Following this manual filtration our system is intricately designed to automatically filter out any campaign or ad creative that could potentially collect personal information, such as names, birth dates, email addresses, or locations. This comprehensive review process ensures all advertisements are relevant, appropriate for our young audience, and strictly adhere to privacy regulations. By integrating this dual-layered approach—combining automated safeguards with human oversight—Kidoz underscores its unwavering commitment to creating a secure and nurturing digital environment, completely free of privacy concerns.
COPPA and GDPRkids™ Compliance
In our dedication to exceed the standard requirements for children's online privacy, the Kidoz team has proactively sought and attained oversight from an FTC-approved COPPA Safe Harbor through PRIVO, affirming our platform's compliance with the stringent measures designed to protect children aged 13 and under.
Furthering our commitment to global privacy standards, Kidoz has also become a proud participant in GDPRkids™ Privacy Assured Program. This initiative aligns with the GDPR's nuanced approach to children's privacy, recognizing the varying ages of consent across EU member states and the UK, which range from 13 to 16 years old.
➡️ Head to our Privacy & Data Hub to read all about the robust measures Kidoz has implemented to ensure safety and compliance.
Eldad Ben Tora
