COPPA Compliance

[MagicalAzareal]

$170 million FTC-NY YouTube settlement offers COPPA compliance tips for platforms and providers

Had you asked yesterday, we would have said the largest financial remedy for violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule was $5.

www.ftc.gov

Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule: A Six-Step Compliance Plan for Your Business

The official website of the Federal Trade Commission, protecting America’s consumers for over 100 years.

www.ftc.gov

I don't think there are many here who have child-directed sites, but the FTC is making some big sweeping changes to COPPA which you may want to read.

 

[zappaDPJ]

Like all these initiatives the complacence plan sets out everything in fine detail and then shoots itself firmly in the foot when it come to the bottom line...

'Your website or online service is directed to a general audience, but you have actual knowledge that you collect personal information from children under 13.'

The majority of my sites are directed at a general audience, but I have no actual knowledge that I collect personal information from children under 13. Why is this? Because of course everyone ticked the check box to say they were over 13

From where I stand COPPA does nothing to protect the younger generation. It does more to protect site owners from being sued.

 

[MagicalAzareal]

From where I stand COPPA does nothing to protect the younger generation. It does more to protect site owners from being sued.

Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act protects site owners from being sued on frivolous grounds (in America), although recent politicians are shooting a lot of rhetoric about wanting to repeal it.

I doubt they would actually do it, after the FOSTA debacle, but it is ludicrous considering that it would destroy the internet as we know it (due to fear of litigation) and it would only be possible for the tech giants they want to "punish" to survive. No one ever seems to think of small business when imposing all manner of regulative constraints or stripping away liability protections.

Did you hear about the lawsuit where someone sued McDonalds because they accidentally spilled hot coffee on themselves? It's ludicrous, McDonalds ended up handing them money too as it was cheaper than going to court.

COPPA is dubious and dicey. The YouTube settlement set a bit of a bad precedent, especially as YouTube did take the time to create a child friendly section specifically for children to use, although they ended up using the main site anyway which the FTC obviously took exception with. The biggest issue here it seems is that YouTube boasted about having the biggest child audience of any video site and that may have been seen as "actual knowledge".

I somewhat dislike this "if you do the right thing, then you are punished, but if you are willingly oblivious and a complete cesspit, then you are perfectly okay" thing that keeps happening, all this does is make it so that no one is willing to help anyone or provide safe sites for children to use and therefore forcing them to go to age gated sites instead.

 

[KimmiKat]

When I was admin for a transit site, the agency's lawyer gave me a paragraph to post on the website regarding COPPA, especially on any comment forms.