COPPA Compliance: Your Action Needed.

[Tom Westbrook]

One interesting side-effect of this user account business is that we now have to comply with the federal Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/coppa.htm), aka COPPA. To simplify that we've put in place a policy that users must be 13 years of age or older to be able to register. Younger users will have to have an adult register for them.

So, all users who logged in with existing accounts imported from the old site must enter a date of birth in their User CP settings under 'Edit Options'. Eventually we'll go through and send out warnings to active members who haven't done that. After a couple of warnings, we'll lock the account until we get the info. Newly created accounts on this site are forced to set this when the account is created.

If you're shy about revealing your age you can elect to hide it (there's a setting under the birth date for that). It's hidden by default on all imported accounts. You can only set it yourself the first time, after than an admin will have to change it, so enter the date carefully!

Sorry about this, but Big Brother and all that...

[Hiro]

Done. 67890

[Barry Wilkinson]

Sorry about this, but Big Brother and all that...

I'm puzzled about this. I am a member of many photo forums and this has not been a requirement on any others. Is this because the server is based in the US, or because it is managed from the US? I am not aware of any requirement in my country of origin, so is the US government dictating 'internet' law?


This is meant as a serious question.

Barry
UK citizen

[Ralph Barker]

I don't think the U.S. government is trying to dictate global Internet law, Barry, just what happens on servers located here in the U.S. As with travel, "foreign" visitors also need to comply with the local laws.

[Barry Wilkinson]

Thanks for clearing that up Ralph, looks like other forums will have to comply at some point.

Barry

[Tom Westbrook]

Yes, it's USA only. I actaually never heard of it myself, but it's a point of vulnerability for us, so we decided to take the route of least resistence. From that web site I mentioned:

If you operate a commercial Web site or an online service directed to children under 13 that collects personal information from children or if you operate a general audience Web site and have actual knowledge that you are collecting personal information from children, you must comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.

I believe it stems partly from over-zealous marketers gathering data on children without knowledge or permission and panic over child predators online. It's smacks of one of those election year feel-good laws--looks great to the voters but causes more problems than it really solves.

[Barry Wilkinson]

Thanks Guy's, I was not trying to be (too) controversial. I guess this is a sign of the times.

How will you ever know if that the 42 year old male from NY who has just registered is not a 11 year old from Boston? Probably best if you don't answer that!

Barry

[Ralph Barker]

How will you ever know . . .

I don't think we'd be divulging any secret by saying obviously we would likely never know. But, having the person state their age takes us off the hook - at least until we actually know something different about them.

[Donald Qualls]

How will you ever know if that the 42 year old male from NY who has just registered is not a 11 year old from Boston? Probably best if you don't answer that!

Unless he's a most unusual 11 year old, you'll figure it out by about his third post, if not before.

Fortunately, COPPA doesn't require the web site operator to actually do a background check on everyone who registers to see that their information is correct, only to exercise due diligence in asking for the information and saying why they need it -- and blocking registration by those who admit to being under 13 years old.

[Andre Noble]

I am concerned about identity theft. So when you click on my name, you'll learn that I am in fact over a century old.

[Tom Westbrook]

I am concerned about identity theft. So when you click on my name, you'll learn that I am in fact over a century old.

You can actually choose to conceil your age & date of birth with your user profile settings. It's towards the top under 'Edit Options'.

[Sal Santamaura]

"If you operate a commercial Web site or an online service directed to children under 13 that collects personal information from children or if you operate a general audience Web site and have actual knowledge that you are collecting personal information from children, you must comply with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act."

I've already provided my real date of birth, so this question is just out of curiousity. Which of these things do we think we're doing? This isn't a commercial Web site and it's not an on-line service directed to children under 13 that collects personal information from children. Do we have actual knowledge that we are collecting personal information from children? I've seen childish behavior, but who among us is really a child? :)

[Tom Westbrook]

The catch is this:


...or if you operate a general audience Web site and have actual knowledge that you are collecting personal information from children,

Probably we don't have kids here, though there have been posts in the past where the user was obviously young--does that count as 'actaul knowledge'? Beats me, but I'm no lawyer. The only way to have "actual knowledge" that we don't have personal info from children here is if we refuse them registration (or manaully review everyone's user profiles periodically to see what info is there). It was the path of least resistence.

[Donald Qualls]

The way this part of COPPA has been interpreted so far is that if you collect *any* personal information (including really basic stuff like a name and e-mail address) you're required to take steps to ensure that children are present only with parental permission and supervision -- by providing a COPPA notice, text specifically barring children under 13 from joining under their own information (requiring a parent or guardian to register for them), and requiring a user statement of age.

[BrianShaw]

I am concerned about identity theft. So when you click on my name, you'll learn that I am in fact over a century old.

I was laughing so much that my secretary just came by and administered the heimlick maneuver. Thanks!

[Clarence Rhymer]

I am concerned about identity theft. So when you click on my name, you'll learn that I am in fact over a century old.

You sure don't look it. ;) At least you'll be able to answer some of those difficult LF questions for those of us who don't remember much before 1935.

Cheers,
Clarence

[John Kasaian]

I've been a-tryin' but every time I enter my birthday it gets kicked back as "Invalid Birthday" I think I'm going to be in therapy a looooong time because of this :-(

[AWH]

Yes, it's USA only. I actaually never heard of it myself, but it's a point of vulnerability for us, so we decided to take the route of least resistence. From that web site I mentioned:


I believe it stems partly from over-zealous marketers gathering data on children without knowledge or permission and panic over child predators online. It's smacks of one of those election year feel-good laws--looks great to the voters but causes more problems than it really solves.

yes and personally i feel that these things should be communicated with canadian government so us canadians can be educated so we don't break these laws that apparently effect us as well.