Buddy.ai announces it is fully compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
Buddy.ai, a conversational AI tutor aimed at children, has shared it fully compliant with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), as certified by the kidSAFE Seal Program.
The development means Buddy.ai’s 20 million annual users can be assured that learning English with the tool is safe and privacy-friendly.
As generative AI chatbots become more readily available, many parents have concerns around online safety and privacy. Common concerns include exposing children to inappropriate content, misinformation and a lack of data protections.
Because AI tools require data, which means off-the-shelf platforms are designed to collect as much as possible. But for children, some data cannot be collected without parental consent. Even if this consent is obtained, it is subject to strict storage and handling requirements, which means many voice assistants struggle to understand children’s voices.
Buddy.ai built its technology from the ground up, using a team of speech technology experts and $13 million in VC funding. The app follo strict guidelines to keep personal information safe and in-house built AI technology to avoid sharing data with any vendors or third parties.
Personal information is not tracked on the Buddy.ai app without clear parental consent. If consent is obtained, the data is used to further improve Buddy.ai’s technology.
Buddy.ai’s CEO and Co-founder Ivan Crewkov explains: “My co-founder and I created Buddy with the goal to help our own children learn English. When we started, we could not have imagined the scale of development ahead of us. Although this was a lengthy and challenging process, attaining kidSAFE and COPPA compliance was important to us as parents — we wanted to build AI technology that prioritized safety and privacy complemented by design.”
Shai Samet, Founder and President of the kidSAFE Seal Program, adds: “Ivan and the Buddy.ai team have demonstrated from day one of our work together that they are serious about the well-being of their users, and will take every reasonable measure to create an enjoyable, yet highly ethical play and learning experience for children. We are proud to have them as a member in our program and are confident they will continue to innovate responsibly in our niche industry.”
