Sendit app accused of deception, illegal collection of children’s data

Anonymous messaging app Sendit has allegedly violated child privacy laws by collecting personal information from children under 13 without parental consent and misleading users into paying for subscriptions, prompting a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit against Hunter Rice, the CEO of Iconic Hearts Holdings, the parent firm of Sendit, reports The Record, a news site by cybersecurity firm Recorded Future.

In a civil complaint filed by the Department of Justice, Sendit was claimed to have collected phone numbers, usernames, photos, and birth dates for TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and other accounts from children without parental consent, violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule. Iconic Hearts purportedly also violated the Restore Online Shoppers' Confidence Act and the FTC Act, according to the agency.

"Sendit's operator and CEO were well aware that many of its users were under the age of 13 and still failed to comply with COPPA. At the same time, they manipulated many users, including children, into signing up for their weekly subscription service by sending fake messages and promising to reveal the identity of message senders but failing to deliver," said FTC Bureau of Customer Protection Director Christopher Mufarrige.