FTC Strengthens Children's Privacy Protections Online 45
An anonymous reader writes "The U.S. Federal Trade Commission today updated the privacy standards that protect children's privacy online. The new rules say companies must gain parental consent before collecting a kid's geolocation data, photos, and videos. It also broadened existing language to include third parties and companies that collect data on users across multiple websites. 'While the new rule strengthens such safeguards, it could also disrupt online advertising. Web sites and online advertising networks often use persistent identification systems — like a customer code number in a cookie in a person's browser — to collect information about a user's online activities and tailor ads for that person. But the new rule expands the definition of personal information to include persistent IDs — such as a customer code number, the unique serial number on a mobile phone, or the I.P. address of a browser — if they are used to show a child behavior-based ads.'"
Re:How do you tell if the user is a child? (Score:2, Insightful)
How do you know the user is a child and thus subject to special rules? By asking them? If so, this is awesome -- I'll just tell everybody I'm a kid and get all the same privacy safeguards (because my "parent" is me, and he'll never give consent).
Browser makers should replace "Do Not Track" with "I'm a Child." Does the same thing, but advertisers aren't allowed to ignore it.
Instagram / Facebook don't care (Score:5, Insightful)
Allow me to paraphrase Instagram's position on this issue: the USFTC can eat a dick.
From Instagram's new Terms of Service:
Get that? "If you're using this service and you're under 18 we will act as if we have parental consent to share every bit of data we have about you with anyone we want."