Penalty Amount
$10,000,000
The FTC settled with Disney for violating the COPPA Rule by mislabeling videos on YouTube, which allowed the collection of children's personal data without parental consent. Disney must pay a $10 million civil penalty and implement measures to ensure proper video labeling and compliance with COPPA.
Disney must pay a $10 million civil penalty, comply with COPPA by notifying parents and obtaining verifiable parental consent before collecting children's data, and establish a program to review whether videos posted to YouTube should be designated as 'Made for Kids'.
In-house legal teams should review all vendor agreements with online platforms (e.g., YouTube, social media, streaming services) and customer agreements for any child-directed services or content. Specifically, examine clauses related to data labeling responsibilities (e.g., 'Made for Kids' or equivalent designations), consent mechanisms for children's data, prohibitions on targeted advertising to children, data processing and sharing restrictions, and audit rights. Contracts must be updated to explicitly require partners to comply with COPPA labeling obligations, implement robust parental consent flows, and prohibit the use of children's data for ad targeting. Data processing addendums (DPAs) should incorporate COPPA-specific safeguards and require certification of compliance.
Entity
Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. and Disney Entertainment Operations LLC
Also known as: Disney
Industry
Media & EntertainmentOfficial Press Release
https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/12/court-approves-order-requiring-disney-pay-10-million-settle-ftc-allegations-firm-enabled-unlawful
DisneyComplaint
https://www.ftc.gov/system/files/ftc_gov/pdf/DisneyComplaint.pdf
disney timeline item 2025 12 31
https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/disney-timeline-item-2025-12-31
Federal Trade Commission Enforcement Page
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement
"Disney Worldwide Services, Inc. and Disney Entertainment Operations LLC"
"$10 million"
"Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule)"
"violated the COPPA Rule by failing to properly label some videos that it uploaded to YouTube as 'Made for Kids' (MFK)"
$10.0M
The FTC alleges that Disney violated COPPA by failing to properly label children-directed videos on YouTube as 'Made for Kids,' allowing the collection of personal data from children under 13 without parental consent. Disney will pay a $10 million civil penalty and must implement a program to ensure accurate video designations, potentially incorporating age assurance technologies.
The FTC sent warning letters to 12 companies offering 'nudify' tools that generate nonconsensual intimate images, for failing to comply with the TAKE IT DOWN Act (TIDA) by not providing a mechanism for victims to request removal of such content. The letters urge immediate compliance with TIDA, which requires platforms to remove nonconsensual intimate images within 48 hours of a valid request. Noncompliant companies may face future legal action and civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation.
The FTC began enforcing the TAKE IT DOWN Act on May 19, 2026, a law requiring covered platforms to establish a process for victims to request removal of nonconsensual intimate images and delete such content within 48 hours of a valid request. The agency launched a consumer complaint portal, issued compliance guidance for businesses and consumers, and sent reminder letters to major platforms including Meta, TikTok, and X about their obligations under the law. No specific penalties or enforcement actions against individual companies were announced in this release.
$6.5M
A federal court held Cliq Inc. and its executives Andrew Phillips and John Blaugrund in civil contempt for multiple violations of a 2015 FTC order requiring the payment processor to prevent enabling consumer fraud. The court found the defendants facilitated fraud by processing transactions for high-risk merchants, avoiding fraud monitoring, failing to conduct required underwriting, and ignoring chargeback thresholds. The court imposed $6.5 million in civil contempt sanctions against the defendants.
$795.8M
The FTC and State of Nevada settled charges with lead defendants of the IM Mastery Academy MLM scheme, including Chris and Isis Terry and their affiliated companies, over false earnings claims used to promote financial training programs and a multi-level marketing venture. The stipulated order imposes a $795.8 million judgment, with defendants surrendering nearly $90 million in assets including luxury real estate, vehicles, jewelry, and a yacht, totaling over $100 million with prior judgments from other involved defendants. The order also bans defendants from selling trading-training services, prohibits false earnings claims, and restricts deceptive practices including negative-option misrepresentations and telemarketing violations.
The FTC and State of Illinois, via the Department of Justice, filed a complaint against B.E.S.T. GDR LLC (d/b/a Premium Home Service) and its owner Yosef Bernath for creating thousands of fake home repair business listings with fabricated five-star reviews to deceive consumers. The defendants allegedly routed consumer calls to unqualified representatives, arranged for unlicensed technicians, and violated the FTC Act, Reviews and Testimonials Rule, Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, and Illinois consumer protection laws. No monetary penalty has been imposed yet as the case is in initial filing stages.