> COPPA affects all websites or services even if you don't target them at children. I don't believe this to be true. I am not in anyway a lawyer (so please con

> COPPA affects all websites or services even if you don't target them at children. I don't believe this to be true. I am not in anyway a lawyer (so please consult one before taking my advice), but I've got a fair degree of experience making COPPA compliant products. For a site or service to fall under COPPA rules, it must explicitly be "directed to children" (https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/complying-coppa-frequently-asked-questions#Web%20sites%20and%20online https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/com...). There's a little ambiguity about this term (which is ultimately resolved in court, I suppose), but you can read a little more on that FTC FAQ. It seems to be quite reasonably applied. I also believe if kids self-host their own servers in a Minecraft game, Mojang/Microsoft can't reasonably be accused of storing or sharing PII. It doesn't get near any company owned servers. I also used IM services and chat rooms as a child, and came to no particular harm. Many, many children use those services everyday and also don't come to harm. Some do. I don't think that has much to do with COPPA. COPPA shouldn't apply to MSN and generic IM services. MSN and the like aren't directed at children; at least I can't see any evidence that would lead someone to believe that children under the 13 are the "primary target audience" for MSN, which triggers the COPPA requirements. > Re: sex offenders. COPPA isn't about that, is it? I think it is, yes, amongst other things. One of those P's is 'protection' - whether that's protection from exploitative marketing or groomers, it's about keeping children safe online. Making something explicitly for use by children is very different from making something for use by the general population, and you have a different kind of responsibility as part of that.