Parental consent needed for targeted ads, rules for retaining information tightened
of ConsumerAffairsThe Federal Trade Commission has adopted strengthened requirements for safeguarding children's information online and giving parents new tools and protections to help them control what data is provided to third parties about their children.
The final rulemakes changes to the Childrens Online Privacy Protection Rule. Itrequires parents to opt in to third-party advertising and includes other changes to address the emerging ways that consumers data is collected and used by companies, and particularly how childrens data is being shared and monetized.
The updated COPPA rule strengthens key protections for kids privacy online, said FTC Chair Lina M. Khan. By requiring parents to opt in to targeted advertising practices, this final rule prohibits platforms and service providers from sharing and monetizing childrens data without active permission.
"The FTC is using all its tools to keep kids safe online, Khan said.
In January 2024, the FTCproposed changes to the COPPA rule, which first went into effect in 2000. Itrequires certain websites and other online services to obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting, using or disclosing personal information from children under 13.
It also provides other important rights for parents, including the right to require operators to delete personal information collected from their children, and imposes independent obligations on covered operators, for example with respect to data minimization and data retention.
Several amendments
The FTC made several amendments to the rule, including:
- Requiring opt-in consent for targeted advertising and other disclosures to third parties:Website and online service operators covered by COPPA will be required to obtain separate verifiable parental consent to disclose childrens personal information to third-party companies related to targeted advertising or other purposes.
- Limits on data retention:The rule requires covered operators to only retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill a specific purpose for which it was collected.This provision explicitly states that operators cannot retain the information indefinitely.
- Increasing Safe Harbor programs transparency:The FTC-approvedCOPPA Safe Harbor programs, which are self-regulatory programs that implement the protections of the COPPA Rule, will be required to publicly disclose their membership lists and report additional information to the FTC as part of efforts to increase accountability and transparency in the programs.
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Posted: 2025-01-16 19:15:25
