Amendments made last year to the Federal Trade Commission’s regulation that implements the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act “broaden its reach and toughen its requirements,” according to a post on the Wiley on Media blog by William Baker, counsel at Wiley Rein. And it’s possible that many company websites are not complying with them, he said.
COPPA defines a child as an individual under the age of 13. The legislation makes it unlawful for a website or online service to collect personal information from children unless there is parental consent. However, not all sites are in compliance with the law, even if they believe they are, said Baker. “There are ways to trip up,” he said. For instance, if a company collects the birthdays of its users, it can be charged with having knowledge of users under 13.
