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Whether
playing, shopping, studying or just surfing, today's kids are taking advantage of all that
the web has to offer. But when it comes to their personal information online, who's in
charge? In an effort to put parents in the catbird seat, the Federal Trade Commission has
established new rules for website operators to make sure that kids'
privacy is protected while they're online. These rules are part of the 1998 Children's Online Privacy Protection Act
(COPPA).
Below
you'll find the FTC's tips for parents. Click on the  in each section to read the Website Operators' requirements under COPPA, starting April 21, 2000.
Parents Should:
Look for a privacy
policy on any website directed to children.
The policy must be available through a link on the website's
homepage and at each area where personal information is collected from kids. Websites for
general audiences that have a children's section must post the notice on the homepages of
the section for kids.
Read the policy
closely to learn the kinds of personal information being collected, how it will be used,
and whether it will be passed on to third parties. If you find a website that doesn't post
basic protections for children's personal information, ask for details about their
information collection practices.
Decide whether to give consent.
Giving consent authorizes the website to collect personal information from your child. You
can give consent and still say no to having your child's information passed along to a
third party.
Your consent
isn't necessary if the website is collecting your child's email address simply to respond
to a one-time request for information.
Decide whether to approve information
collection from your kids based on new uses for the information.
Website operators will let you know about the need for new consent by sending you a new
notice and request. They will do this when they are changing the terms-of-use of the
information in a "material" or significant way.
Ask to see the information your child has
submitted.
The site will ask you to verify your identity to ensure that your child's information
isn't given out improperly.
Understand that you may revoke your
consent at any time and have your child's information deleted.
To stop a website from collecting additional information from your child, you can revoke
your consent. You also may ask a site to delete any personal information it has already
collected from your child.
Full text of How to Protect Kids' Privacy
Online [PDF]
FTC Privacy
Initiatives |
