New Senate Bill would amend Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act

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Senators Ed Markey and Josh Hawley have presented a bill that would amend COPPA with stricter controls on kids’ data. There are a large number of politicians that don’t believe the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act does enough to protect kids in the modern era and they’re hoping to update it as necessary. The new bill would ban ads targeted at kids and would require an Eraser Button. It will enable kids and parents to wipe data.

Senators Ed Markey and Josh Hawley

The new measure would ban the collection of personal data for kids under 13 without their parents’ consent. But, it would also ban collecting data from the 13-15-year-old crowd without the permission of the user. This bill will also stop the sale of connected toys and other child-oriented devices unless they can meet robust security standards. It would need that those devices have a privacy dashboard on their packaging that shows how they collect, use and secure data.

Companies will experience a tougher time feigning ignorance of underage users. The amendment would change the requirement of COPPA for actual knowledge of under-13 use to constructive knowledge. It would provide companies a year to implement many of the changes if the bill becomes law. The bill will also include a requirement to clearly disclose its data collection. The new amendment could have significant ramifications for tech companies. The creators of the app and website will have to create staggered data collection policies. They will also need stricter age enforcement verification.