Data Mining the Kids: Surveillance and Market Research Strategies in Children’s Online Games

This paper explores privacy issues in relation to the growing prominence of marketing research and data mining in websites for children. Whereas increasing protection is given to individuals’ personal information, little attention is paid to information that is aggregated, electronically scanned, and sorted—despite the fact that aggregate information is often highly valued by the marketing industry. The authors review current trends in Internet market research, data mining techniques, policy initiatives, and the contents of some of the most highly frequented children’s game sites. The paper demonstrates how common data mining practices constitute a threat to children’s emerging rights online.