FTC Affirms Coppa’s Effectiveness, With Caveats
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) has been effective in ensuring the security of children without placing an undue burden on Web site operators during its first five years of existence, according to Federal Trade Commission.
But the FTC cautioned in a report to Congress that, because age< falsification is possible and age verification technology is not available, there are risks involved with general-use sites. The FTC also noted that social networking sites and mobile Internet access have brought a new set of concerns to the children’s online privacy issue.
The FTC praised Web site operators for offering children interactive< online experiences while collecting little or no personal information< from them. But it also noted “there is concern that younger children are migrating to more general audience websites, such as social networking sites, that are not intended for their use but nonetheless attract their presence.”
The FTC urged development of age verification technologies
According to the FTC, since the Commission’s implementation of COPPA in April 2000, the organization has brought 12 COPPA law enforcement actions, assessing more than $1.8 million in civil penalties for alleged violations. The FTC indicated it would push for higher civil penalties to be levied against violators.
