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Compressed Data; Amazon Site's Child Reviewers Spur Privacy Charge

A privacy complaint filed last week with the Federal Trade Commission argues that contrary to law, some reviewers for the online retailer Amazon.com are children.

The complaint, by the Electronic Privacy Information Center and 11 other groups, contended that Amazon violated online privacy laws by posting children's personal information, including home addresses.

Chris Jay Hoofnagle, deputy counsel at the electronic privacy center, said the Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, among other things, requires owners of Web sites aimed at children to obtain consent from a parent or guardian before collecting data from children under 13.

While looking in the toys and games section of Amazon, a joint venture between the retailer and Toys ''R'' Us, Mr. Hoofnagle said he found that several reviewers, all of whom had registered, providing their names and e-mail addresses, indicated in their critiques that they were under 13. Several also included their full addresses and, in some cases, physical descriptions.

An Amazon spokesman, Bill Curry, rejected contentions in the complaint that the site was aimed at children. ''We sell products to children that are purchased by adults,'' Mr. Curry said. He added that Amazon used screens and filters to remove inappropriate material. IAN AUSTEN

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section C, Page 4 of the National edition with the headline: Compressed Data; Amazon Site's Child Reviewers Spur Privacy Charge. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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