FTC considers updating rules protecting children’s online privacy

US— The Federal Trade Commission is considering updating rules governing the online collection of children’s personal data in light of the growing popularity of mobile web access among young people.

But mobile is just the beginning – the FTC is also sounding out interested parties on whether interactive TV, gaming and other interactive media raise any implications for the enforcement of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which has been in force since April 2000.

COPPA requires website operators to get parental consent before collecting, using or disclosing personal information from children under the age of 13.

In a notice published in the Federal Register, the FTC asks for opinions on whether the definition of ‘personal information’ needs to be expanded to include the likes of persistent IP addresses and mobile geolocation data.

The FTC also wants to find out whether there are additional technological methods to obtain verifiable parental consent that should be added to the COPPA rule, and whether any of the methods currently included should be removed.

Full details of the review can be found online here. Public comments are invited until 30 June.

We hope you enjoyed this article.
Research Live is published by MRS.

The Market Research Society (MRS) exists to promote and protect the research sector, showcasing how research delivers impact for businesses and government.

Members of MRS enjoy many benefits including tailoured policy guidance, discounts on training and conferences, and access to member-only content.

For example, there's an archive of winning case studies from over a decade of MRS Awards.

Find out more about the benefits of joining MRS here.

0 Comments


Display name

Email

Join the discussion

Newsletter
Stay connected with the latest insights and trends...
Sign Up
Latest From MRS

Our latest training courses

Our new 2025 training programme is now launched as part of the development offered within the MRS Global Insight Academy

See all training

Specialist conferences

Our one-day conferences cover topics including CX and UX, Semiotics, B2B, Finance, AI and Leaders' Forums.

See all conferences

MRS reports on AI

MRS has published a three-part series on how generative AI is impacting the research sector, including synthetic respondents and challenges to adoption.

See the reports

Progress faster...
with MRS 
membership

Mentoring

CPD/recognition

Webinars

Codeline

Discounts