![]() ![]() Prohibitions Against Mandatory Collection: Companies cannot require children to provide more information than is reasonably needed for participation in an activity.Today’s policy statement makes clear that the Commission will vigilantly enforce the law to ensure that companies covered under COPPA are complying with all of the rule’s provisions, including : The policy statement underscores that, even as companies across the economy become more aggressive in harvesting and monetizing individuals’ data, ed tech providers cannot do the same: Ed tech providers must comply fully with all provisions of the COPPA Rule. These services have the capacity to collect a trove of personal information and there are serious concerns that this data may be used to build profiles of kids. Parents and schools, however, are forced to navigate an industry that is dominated by the commercial surveillance business model. In today’s digital economy, children need to be able to learn to use technology and use technology to learn. Technology use in the classroom has grown substantially in recent years, a trend that accelerated during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many schools were forced to switch to virtual learning. The FTC will be closely monitoring this market to ensure that parents are not being forced to surrender to surveillance for their kids’ technology to turn on.” “Parents should not have to choose between their children’s privacy and their participation in the digital classroom. “Students must be able to do their schoolwork without surveillance by companies looking to harvest their data to pad their bottom line,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. Under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, companies cannot deny children access to educational technologies when their parents or school refuse to sign up for commercial surveillance. In a new policy statement adopted today, the Commission made it clear that it is against the law for companies to force parents and schools to surrender their children’s privacy rights in order to do schoolwork online or attend class remotely. The Federal Trade Commission announced today that it will crack down on education technology companies if they illegally surveil children when they go online to learn. About the FTC Show/hide About the FTC menu items.News and Events Show/hide News and Events menu items.Advice and Guidance Show/hide Advice and Guidance menu items. ![]()
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