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The US introduced the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act back in 1998, and the response for most websites was to put in an age gate requiring a birthday w
by cbhl 6y ago
The US introduced the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act back in 1998, and the response for most websites was to put in an age gate requiring a birthday where you're at least 13 or 14.
I wonder why at the time congress scoped this bill to just children, rather than thinking about online privacy for all consumers.
- closeparen 6y agoCOPPA is about the fact that 9-year-olds can’t meaningfully consent to privacy policies. Adults can, and can even do so on behalf of their children under COPPA, it’s just that most sites would rather ban children than deal with parent signature forms.
- yellowapple 6y ago> COPPA is about the fact that 9-year-olds can’t meaningfully consent to privacy policies. And 13 year olds can? I'm probably preaching to the choir, but it seems like COPPA set the bar too low. And further, it's pretty straightforward to be COPPA compliant - even with toddlers using your website - if you, you know, don't collect personal information to begin with. Again, probably choir-preaching...
- closeparen 6y agoI most often remember seeing this invoked over email address, where email is intrinsic to the site’s functionality.
- kevin_thibedeau 6y agoThe data brokering industry is huge. They don't want data privacy laws to be passed and they make campaign contributions to make sure the status quo is maintained. The government likes this situation too because it lets them bypass 4A.