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(CNN) - Google has agreed to pay a record fine of $ 170 million to resolve allegations that YouTube violated the law by tracking and selling ads aimed at children, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported Wednesday.
The agreement involves the biggest penalty in history under the Online Privacy Protection for Children Act, which YouTube allegedly violated by collecting information from users of minors to boost its behavioral advertising business.
- The European Union imposes on Google with a third antitrust fine of 1.7 billion dollars
The decision could affect the strategies of all the creators of children's videos on YouTube, including large companies such as Mattel and Hasbro, according to federal officials.
The announcement marks the second time in two months that the FTC has imposed a significant fine on a major technology company, after the commission announced a $ 5 billion deal with Facebook for its privacy breaches in July.
The measure also highlights the enormous power of digital advertising and personal data, whose combination has turned Google and Facebook into two of the most dominant players in the marketing economy.
Google’s $ 170 million payment reflects less than 1 percent of the company's quarterly advertising revenue.
