The Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov) is sending e-mails to scores of Web sites directed to children to alert them that they must comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and its implementing regulations if they are collecting personally identifiable information from children under 13. The FTC enforces COPPA, which went into effect April 21. COPPA requires that Web sites directed to children and general audience sites that knowingly collect personal information from children post privacy policies and obtain parental consent.
"Protecting children's privacy is a priority for the FTC," said Jodie Bernstein, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "We intend to ensure that Web sites collecting personal information from kids are complying with COPPA and that kids' information is protected, not exploited."
