Privacy Screening of Online Game Platforms: A Case Study of “Gamecell”

Abstract

Online games and the usage of the Internet are now ubiquitous in the lives of children. From widespread engagement with the Internet through ever changing technologies, children and parents are now faced with a plethora of risks for which they need protection. Despite strong legal instruments in most countries on data protection and privacy, there is still a need to see child privacy on the ground. To that extent, this paper looks into Gamecell - a popular online game platform - by addressing “accountability” of the platforms based on their data protection and privacy obligations under the relevant laws and draw attention to the company’s current practices, aiming to show the gaps existing between theory and practice. By urging all the stakeholders of the online gaming ecosystem to take the necessary steps for accountability reasons, and to truly understand the rules set out in the applicable legal framework, we argue that users’ rights and freedoms are non-negotiable. Finally, we emphasize that stakeholders of the online gaming ecosystem should acquire a true understanding of the importance of “fairness” and online gaming companies should remember that it should be central to all your processing of children’s personal data.