NEW!
You, Your Privacy
Policy and COPPA. How to Comply with the Children's Online Privacy
Protection Act [TEXT]
[PDF] |

Below
you'll find the requirements for Website Operators. Click on in each section
to read the Parents' Tips.
Website Operators Must:
Post their privacy
policy.
Websites directed to children or that knowingly collect information from kids under 13
must post a notice of their information collection practices that includes:
 |
types
of personal information they collect from kids-for example, name, home address, email
address or hobbies. |
 |
how
the site will use the information - for example, to market to the child who supplied the
information, to notify contest winners or to make the information available through a
child's participation in a chat room. |
 |
whether
personal information is forwarded to advertisers or other third parties. |
 |
a
contact at the site. |
Get parental consent.
In many cases, a site must obtain parental consent before collecting, using or disclosing
personal information about a child.
Consent is not
required when a site is collecting an email address to:
 |
respond
to a one-time request from the child. |
 |
provide
notice to the parent. |
 |
ensure
the safety of the child or the site. |
 |
send
a newsletter or other information on a regular basis as long as the site notifies a parent
and gives them a chance to say no to the arrangement. |
Get new consent when information-practices change in a
"material" way.
Website operators need to notify parents and get consent again if they plan to change the
kinds of information they collect, change how they use the information or offer the
information to new and different third parties. For example, new parental consent would be
required if the website decides to:
 |
send
information from children to marketers of diet pills instead of only marketers of stuffed
animals, as covered in the original consent. |
 |
give
a child access to a chat room if the parent's original consent covered only sending a
newsletter. |
Allow parents to review personal information collected from their
children.
To do this, website operators must verify the identity of the requesting parent.
Allow parents to revoke their consent, and delete information collected
from their children at the parents' request.
Parents can revoke their consent and ask that information about their children be deleted
from the site's database. When a parent revokes consent, the website must stop collecting,
using or disclosing information from that child. The site may end a child's participation
in an activity if the information it collected was necessary for participation in the
website's activity.
Full text of How to Protect Kids' Privacy
Online [PDF]

How
to Comply With The Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule [PDF]
The Federal Trade
Commission staff prepared a guide to help website operators comply with the new
requirements for protecting children's privacy online and understand the FTC's enforcement
authority.
 |
Frequently Asked Questions About the Children's Online Privacy Protection
RuleNEW |
[TEXT] |
|
 |
Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule: Powerpoint 2000 Presentation on
Compliance Information NEW
(MS Internet Explorer required to View. All users can download PPS file) |
[VIEW] |
[PPS] |
 |
How
to Protect Kids' Privacy Online: A Guide for Teachers |
[TEXT] |
[PDF] |
COPPA Safe Harbor Program
If you are a web site operator with a
compliance question not answered in our resource materials, call the COPPA Compliance
Information Line at 202-326-3140.

FTC Press Releases

Download the Kidz Privacy materials, graphics and audio PSA's. |