A United States federal law enacted to protect the privacy of children under the age of 13. It was passed in 1998 and is enforced by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The key aspects of COPPA include:
- Parental Consent: COPPA requires websites and online services that are either directed to children under 13 or knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from these children.
- Privacy Policies: Websites must provide a clear and comprehensive privacy policy that describes their information practices for children’s data.
- Limited Collection of Personal Information: The law limits the types of personal information that online services can collect from children under 13.
- Parental Access to Information: Parents have the right to review the personal information collected from their children and have the option to revoke consent and request that this information be deleted.
- Security Requirements: COPPA mandates that websites and online services ensure the confidentiality, security, and integrity of the personal information collected from children.
- Safe Harbor Programs: The law allows for safe harbor programs, which are industry self-regulatory groups that adhere to approved guidelines and offer some compliance assistance and more streamlined regulatory requirements.
COPPA is significant legislation in internet safety and privacy, particularly in marketing and collecting data from a young audience. It aims to give parents control over what information is collected from their young children online and to protect children from unwittingly sharing personal information.
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