CNIL Unveils App to Help Kids Safeguard Their Privacy on Social Media
French watchdog CNIL launched FantomApp, an app to help 10-15-year olds protect their data on social networks, on Tuesday.
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Available free from Apple and Google app stores, plus the website antomapp.fr, the app was inspired by a survey of students at several middle schools, CNIL said. It builds on youngsters' practices and highlights their own digital skills, enabling them to develop the right habits, the DPA said.
Workshops organized with middle school students helped structure the app around three main features, CNIL said. One provides kids with essential information and trusted contacts to deal with problematic online situations such as cyberbullying or sexual blackmail.
A second feature gives youngsters simple, effective tools such as photo-blurring and password strength-testing, to keep their digital practices secure; a third provides guided tutorials to help kids keep their accounts safe, such as knowing which setting to disable or enable.
The application presents GDPR rights in an accessible, practical way to help young people take action, such as by requesting deletion of content, and to file a complaint with CNIL if their rights have been violated.
FantomApp doesn't collect data other than the IP address necessary for the operation of the app and the type of device used, CNIL noted. The app, funded by the EU, will be translated into English, Luxembourgish, Polish, Norwegian, Hungarian, Greek and Catalonian, the regulator added.