Angry Birds maker sued in Mexico for allegedly violating child privacy

Mexico City: A federal lawsuit has been announced against Rovio Entertainment, the developer of popular "Angry Birds" mobile gaming franchise by New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas over allegations the company collects and sells personal data of children under the age of 13.

Filed on Wednesday, the federal lawsuit by Attorney General Hector Balderas accuses Rovio of violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). It is said to do so in part because Angry Birds is marketed to younger device users.

Balderas also claims that Rovio "monetizes children by surreptitiously exfiltrating their personal information while they play the Angry Birds Gaming Apps and then using that personal information for commercial exploitation."

The personal information collected includes data like device names, online activity history and more.

The suit claims that Rovio's practices violate state privacy laws as well as the federal laws on child privay (COPPA) which demands developers of child-directed games to obtain parental consent before collecting any personal information from players and if a developer creates a game targeted at a broad audience. The laws also stipulates the developer to take steps to ensure that it does not collect information from users under the age of 13.

Now, the state seeks an injunction prohibiting the company's data collection practices, civil penalties, restitution, and other relief.

The game was first released in 2009 and has led to 35 spin-off games and has an estimated total of 4.5 billion downloads to date.