AG James announced a settlement with Saturn Technologies, a developer of an app called Saturn used by high school students, for failing to protect young users’ privacy. Saturn allows high school students to create a personal calendar, message other members, share social media accounts, join groups, and know where other users are located based on their calendars. Saturn Technologies claimed that its app only allowed users from the same high school to interact with each other. However, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation found that the company failed to verify users’ school email and age to ensure they were high school students and allowed users from different high schools to interact with each other. As a result of today’s settlement, Saturn Technologies must pay $650,000 in penalties and significantly change its practices to protect users.

“The Saturn App helps students stay up to date with school-related events, sports, exams, and homework, but it failed to protect young users’ safety and privacy. Saturn Technologies should have strictly verified users to ensure that they were actually high school students and should have made sure students were interacting with others in their high school, not strangers. With this settlement, Saturn Technologies will have to update its practices, better protect users, and keep its promises. My top priority is always to stand up for New Yorkers’ safety, especially when it comes to vulnerable youth.”- AG James