Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule

In October 1999, the FTC issued the Children's Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPR). The Rules went into effect on April 21, 2000, and implemented the requirements of the COPPA by requiring operators of websites or online services directed to children and operators of websites or online services who have actual knowledge that the person from whom they seek information is a child (1) to post prominent links on their websites to a notice of how they collect, use, and/or disclose personal information from children; (2) with certain exceptions, to notify parents that they wish to collect information from their children and obtain parental consent prior to collecting, using, and/or disclosing such information; (3) not to condition a child's participation in online activities on the provision of more personal information than is reasonably necessary to participate in the activity; (4) to allow parents the opportunity to review and/or have their children's information deleted from the operator's database and to prohibit further collection from the child; and (5) to establish procedures to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of personal information they collect from children.

As directed by the COPPA, the Rule also provides a safe harbor for operators following Commission-approved self-regulatory guidelines.