Nickelodeon: 'SpongeBob' Squares With Privacy Protections

Company says it has vetted its mobile app game, and that it does not collect personal info

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/19/2012 10:54:31 AM

Nickelodeon says it has vetted its SpongeBob Diner Dash mobile app game and it does not collect personally identifiable info.

The game earlier this week was the target of a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission alleging that it violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting that info but not informing parents it was doing so.

"After an initial investigation and thorough review of our SpongeBob Diner Dash mobile application, we can confirm that no names, email addresses or other personally identifiable information were collected, and, therefore, we believe that no violation of COPPA occurred," said the company in a statement. "The optional email prompt to receive a newsletter was a template function from the developer that was never operational in this app, and no email addresses or personally identifiable information were collected.

"Nickelodeon has long prided itself as being a leader in COPPA compliance, and we are looking forward to maintaining that leadership position in the industry as the FTC unveils its updated guidelines."

The company also said that the game's prompt for a player to enter his or her name is simply to allow for saving of an individual game in progress and resides locally on the device rather than a server.

The Federal Trade Commission is releasing changes/clarifications to its enforcement to COPPA on Wednesday  to reflect the rise of mobile and online gaming and marketing.