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Mobile gaming set to change with new COPPA rules

| December 26, 2012

mobile gaming security rules childrenFTC issues amendments to COPPA that could affect mobile gaming

Earlier this month, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a U.S. agency committed to promoting consumer protection, issued a call to the mobile applications industry to bolster their security measures for applications that are designed for children. Mobile gaming application are rampantly popular among children, and the FTC believes that the majority of these applications do not have adequate security measures in place to protect the information of consumers. The agency has released amendments to the Children Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) this week detailing some of the changes that must be made to mobile gaming and the applications business in general.

Developers banned from collecting information from children

According to the COPPA amendments, mobile gaming applications are completely forbidden from collecting personal data from users that are under the age of 13. Developers will have to received parental consent in order to obtain this information. The ban keeps mobile gaming applications from collecting geographic information as well in an attempt to provide young consumers with another layer of protection. Geographic information is often used in marketing to target specific demographics.

Developers tasked with securing personal information

The changes to the COPPA law also close a loophole that allowed applications to collect a wide assortment of information from consumers. These applications often use third party solutions to acquire personal information from users. The FTC notes that developers and applications providers will need to take reasonable steps in securing the protection of a child’s personal information and ensure that this information is kept confidential.

COPPA changes may be difficult to comply with due to consumer honesty

Changes to COPPA may have an impact on the mobile gaming sector, but app developers are likely to adapt well to the changes. There are concerns that children often use mobile applications without the consent of their parents. Protecting the information of young consumers is largely linked to the honesty of these consumers, which can be a problematic issue as young consumers tend to bend the truth in order to gain access to applications that may not be suitable for their age group.

Neolane introduces updates to social media marketing platform

| December 26, 2012

Neolane Social Media MarketingNeolane enhances SoLoMo

Neolane, a provider of conversational marketing technology, has announced improvements to its Neolane Social Marketing platform, called SoLoMo. The enhancements include better functionality with social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and provide users with more robust geolocation features. Geolocation has become a very important part of marketing, especially in the social media space, because geographic information can help marketers target specific demographics with campaigns that are suited for those groups.

Updates give marketers access to Facebook’s Open Graph

Updates to the SoLoMo platform will allow marketers using it to take advantage of Facebook’s Open Graph, which is designed to collect real time consumer information and integrate it directly into a marketing database. Neolan believes that the ability to use Open Graph will provide marketers with more capabilities to connect with consumers in a more meaningful way. Open Graph manages to avoid some of the privacy concerns that consumers have by informing these consumers that their information is being collected for marketing purposes. Facebook users have the ability to opt out of this process.

Geolocation continues to gain value with marketers

Geolocation marketing is very valuable to advertisers throughout the marketing industry. The advent of mobile technology made it easier for advertisers to acquire the geographic information from consumers that they crave. Sites like Foursquare and Facebook  provide users with the ability to “check in” to locations they visit. This information allows advertisers to develop marketing campaigns that are suited to a consumer’s geographic location and preferences. The Neolane marketing platform is being put on track to provide marketers with more robust capabilities to take advantage of this growing trend.

Mobile marketing presents opportunities for advertisers

Mobile marketing has become vitally important to businesses in the modern age. A huge number of consumers have access to mobile devices, such as smart phones and tablets. These consumers rely heavily on these devices in their daily lives, presenting an ideal opportunity for marketers to establish a constant connection with consumers.