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Microsoft's Cortana app inaccessible to users under 13

Microsoft's Cortana app - an equivalent to Apple's voice-activated assistant Siri - will not respond to children under the age of 13.

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Gamespot reports that the decision was made in accordance with US law, seeing as Cortana collects data on users to improve its service over time, a feature frowned upon by the nation's Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

CNET adds that if a user is listed as under the age of 13 on their Microsoft account, the Cortana app's full suite of functions will be unavailable.

If a minor tries to use the app, Cortana will respond by saying, "I'm sorry, you'll need to be bit older before I can help you."

Cortana is currently in beta for Windows Phone 8.1

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Dave Cook avatar

Dave Cook

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Dave worked on VG247 for an extended period manging much of the site's news output. As well as his experience in games media, he writes for comics, and now specializes in books about gaming history.

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