The FTC has recently published an updated FAQ regarding their COPPA standards. COPPA, which stands for Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, is one of the most significant set of standards that anyone doing any online business in education or other youth focused niches need to be aware of. The updates, according to the FTC, are directed at both educational institutions and businesses that provide online services such as mobile apps.
Any marketer who is working in, or promoting any sort of digital product that children use should at least review the changes. Included in the updated FAQ are instructions about how educational institutions can consent to websites or mobile apps on behalf of a parent. This is limited, however, to websites or apps specifically used for the education of the children, and there are limits on the type of personal information that can be collected. Also, it specifically points out that the personal information can be used only for the benefit of the school, and not sold or provided to other entities for commercial purposes.
While this may sound obvious or straight forward, it was something of a gray area prior to these updates.
Another clarification that app or website makers will find beneficial is the fact that owners of these services do not have to collect consent directly from the parents of children. It is sufficient to get consent from the school, and the responsibility for getting approval from individual parents rests with the school itself. This was another area where some companies had questions, and without this clarification, may have had to invest significantly in ensuring every student was able to get parent consent for the business itself, and not just for the school.
There are several other updates, clarifications and other information provided by the FTC for the benefit of educators, schools, and businesses that work in this industry. The updated COPPA FAQ can be seen HERE.
