FTC Approves Children’s Protection Program I Supported

I am very pleased that the Federal Trade Commission has voted unanimously to approve a program I supported to increase the protection of children and teens online.

The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires operators of websites and online services directed to children under the age of 13, and those who knowingly collect personal information from children to post comprehensive privacy policies on their sites, notify parents about their information practices, and obtain parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing any personal information from children.  Companies that have proven systems for protecting children can apply to the FTC for “safe harbor” status, so that any site that uses their protections will be in compliance with the law.

I only wrote to endorse one system, the Integrity Children’s Privacy Compliance Program developed by Aristotle, and I am pleased that the Federal Trade Commission agreed with my assessment that it is a big improvement over current systems to verify parental permission that are easily circumvented by computer-savvy kids.