KidsEmail.org, the Safe Email Service for Kids, Supports FTC Rulings That Safeguard COPPA’s Parental Consent Requirement to Protect the Privacy of Children
Shelley, ID (PRWEB) November 20, 2013 -- The Federal Trade Commission recently denied an application by AssertID, Inc. for approval of a proposed method for verifying parental consent to collect the personal information of children under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule commonly known as COPPA. KidsEmail.org, the safe email service for kids, supports the ruling because it safeguards the power COPPA gives to parents to protect the safety of their children.
Under COPPA, operators of websites or online services must provide notice to parents and obtain verifiable parental consent prior to the online collection and use of personal information of children under 13.
AssertID proposed a verifiable consent method they developed called “ConsentID.” This technology is designed to verify a parent’s identity on the basis of a “trust score,” that is calculated using peer verifications through the parent’s social network. AssertID maintains that their social-verification method is the best way to establish the parent-child relationship.
In its disapproval of AssertID’s method of verifying parental consent for the collection of children’s personal information, the FTC stated that the technology does not meet COPPA’s criteria for obtaining parental consent. They went on to say that AssertID “failed to provide sufficient evidence” that its proposed parental consent method is “reasonably calculated, in light of available technology, to ensure that the person providing consent is the child's parent.”
The FTC went on to express concerns about how effective the technology will be in the marketplace. To support its concern, the agency cited the high incidence of fake Facebook profiles and the ease in which children under 13 can falsify personal information in their social media accounts.
KidsEmail.org is a safe email service for children that is trusted by more than 30,000 parents. The email service empowers parents to increase their child’s online safety with a wide range of parental controls that include monitoring incoming and outgoing mail, filtering unwanted words and images, restricting login hours, and managing contacts.
To learn more about this award-winning, safe email service for kids, visit KidsEmail.org to sign up for a free 30-day trial.
Launched in 2009, KidsEmail.org is a safe email service designed to protect kids ages 4 to 12 from Internet dangers including cyberbullying, pornography, predators, and email from strangers. This service allows kids to only send emails to and receive emails from people on their contact list while also allowing parents to monitor email conversations. Visit http://www.KidsEmail.org to learn more and to sign up for a free trial.
Jacob Andersen, Ruby Web, LLC, http://www.kidsemail.org, 2085574132, [email protected]
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