Comments on: FTC to Sony: Hey, Record Label, Leave Those Kids Alone http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081210/ftc-to-sony-hey-record-label-leave-those-kids-alone/ by Peter Kafka Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:52:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jeff Chester http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081210/ftc-to-sony-hey-record-label-leave-those-kids-alone/comment-page-1/#comment-918 Jeff Chester Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:10:40 +0000 http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/?p=1970#comment-918 Statement of Dr. Kathryn C. Montgomery, who led the campaign for the passage of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), commenting on the FTC children's privacy lawsuit announced today against Sony BMG Music Entertainment I applaud the FTC’s actions to enforce the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The government’s lawsuit against SONY sends a strong signal to the online industry that this law must be taken seriously. COPPA was designed to protect children under the age of 13 from unfair data collection and manipulation by online marketers. Congress passed the law ten years ago to establish a clear set of safeguards and principles that were built into the foundation of the emerging digital marketplace. However, in recent years, online data collection has become increasingly sophisticated, expanding into a variety of new platforms -- from social networks to mobile phones to interactive games -- that are now central tools in young peoples’ their lives. In the new administration of President-elect Barack Obama, both the FTC and Congress must support additional policies that will extend COPPA’s mandate and create privacy protections for all children under the age of 18. Kathryn C. Montgomery, Ph.D, is Professor of Communication at American University in Washington, DC. Statement of Dr. Kathryn C. Montgomery, who led the campaign for the passage of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), commenting on the FTC children’s privacy lawsuit announced today against Sony BMG Music Entertainment

I applaud the FTC’s actions to enforce the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. The government’s lawsuit against SONY sends a strong signal to the online industry that this law must be taken seriously. COPPA was designed to protect children under the age of 13 from unfair data collection and manipulation by online marketers. Congress passed the law ten years ago to establish a clear set of safeguards and principles that were built into the foundation of the emerging digital marketplace. However, in recent years, online data collection has become increasingly sophisticated, expanding into a variety of new platforms — from social networks to mobile phones to interactive games — that are now central tools in young peoples’ their lives. In the new administration of President-elect Barack Obama, both the FTC and Congress must support additional policies that will extend COPPA’s mandate and create privacy protections for all children under the age of 18.

Kathryn C. Montgomery, Ph.D, is Professor of Communication at American University in Washington, DC.

]]> By: David Mazur http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20081210/ftc-to-sony-hey-record-label-leave-those-kids-alone/comment-page-1/#comment-909 David Mazur Thu, 11 Dec 2008 15:21:04 +0000 http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/?p=1970#comment-909 To a degree, COPPA relies on parental involvement in their children's web-surfing activities. The thinking is that if sites provide clear notice about what information the site collects, how it gets used, and under what circumstances that information may be disclosed, parents will be empowered to make choices about what sites their kids should be visiting. Is this an appropriate policy based on the realities of how kids experience the internet? Who knows, but that's where COPPA is coming from. To a degree, COPPA relies on parental involvement in their children’s web-surfing activities. The thinking is that if sites provide clear notice about what information the site collects, how it gets used, and under what circumstances that information may be disclosed, parents will be empowered to make choices about what sites their kids should be visiting. Is this an appropriate policy based on the realities of how kids experience the internet? Who knows, but that’s where COPPA is coming from.

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