FTC Seeks Changes to COPPA Rule
October 12th, 2011
The Federal Trade Commission is proposing changes to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule, which of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, COPPA, or commissioned. The COPPA Rule regulates the information that Web sites ask visitors under the age of 13 can, and the agency sought public comment on the proposed changes.
The proposed amendments are in the range of definitions can, parental notification, parental consent mechanisms, confidentiality and security of personal information children and the role of self “safe harbor” program s. The federal agency written comments to us by 28 November preserved.
Change the “Personal Data”
The rule requiring parental notice and consent to the collection of personal information from children under 13 years, the information is stored securely, and prohibits children from being a prerequisite for participating in activities that require more personal information than necessary.
COPPA says that websites and online services directed to children under 13, or any websites who know that they collect information from users under this age must obtain parental consent before collecting, using or disclosing this information. In 2000 and the FTC’s rule, based on COPPA rules, following a review in 2005, the rule is revised and kept it without change.
In April last year, the FTC sought public comment on the rule, because of rapid changes in technology and how children are now using the Internet.
The technical and usage changes include geographic location information and cookies, or other permanent identification. The FTC proposes that the definition of “personal data” to modify these components, and also suggests that the definition of “collection” be changed to the children participate in interactive communities leave without parental consent, as long that site or service, players “take reasonable steps to remove all or nearly all children personal information before it is published.”
Streamlining Parental Notification
To the parents in advance to streamline the agency advises that important information is presented to parents in a card just in time “message, and not just a privacy policy.It also proposes new ways to obtain parental consent, including scans of the signed parental consent forms, video conference or the use of identity issued by the government compared to a database, provided that the ID be deleted after verification.
He also wants to abolish a form of parental consent, so-called “e-mail anymore,” where the operator can obtain consent by e-mail sent to the parent when the data are collected for internal use.
The FTC also seeks to strengthen the requirements for confidentiality and security, so that operators ensure that third parties, including service providers, is “reasonable procedures” to protect the personal information of a child, which retains information only as long as is reasonably necessary, and remove it properly.
For the “Safe Harbor” self-regulation program, the agency wants these programs to examine their members a year and report the results of the audits.
Categories: Computers and Technology
