French DPA fines app developer VOODOO 3 million euros
The French Data Protection Authority (CNIL) conducted several investigations regarding voodoo.io and various mobile apps released by VOODOO, such as the popular Helix Jump. After close investigation, the CNIL declared that VOODOO had been unlawfully tracking users’ activity without their consent.
Every time a user downloads an application from the App Store, Apple provides them with a unique identifier (IDFV) used to track their browsing habits. This enables developers to personalize ads for each user.
When opening a video game, users are presented with an App Tracking Transparency request which prompts them to give consent for tracking activities. When the user refuses, a window from VOODOO is displayed, informing the user that their advertising tracking has been deactivated and that they will receive non-personalized ads.
However, according to CNIL’s investigation, VOODOO still reads the IDFV anyway and processes the information related to browsing behavior for advertising purposes – without consent and contrary to what they indicated in their information screen.
This practice violates Article 82 of the French Data Protection Act, resulting in a 3 million euro fine from CNIL’s sanctions committee.
Source: Mobile games: the CNIL fined VOODOO 3 million euros | CNIL
