USCCB Communications Joins Call For Updates To Kids’ Online Privacy Protections

WASHINGTON—A broad coalition of child advocacy, health, parents, privacy, and consumer organizations—including the Communications Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart Association, and the American Psychological Association and Consumers Union—has released a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to express strong support for proposed updates to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

COPPA was passed by Congress in 1998 and is designed to enable parents to decide how and whether Internet companies and operators can collect and use personal information from their children under the age of 13.

The FTC is considering the first updates to the COPPA rules, which were established in 2000. The December 13 letter says that "rapid expansion of digital media during the last decade, data collection and marketing practices have become increasingly sophisticated and much less transparent, undermining the ability of parents to make meaningful decisions for protecting their children's privacy and safety." The letter describes the proposed updates to the COPPA rules as "not only essential, but also urgent."

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Keywords: child advocacy, Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, COPPA, FTC, Federal Trade Commission, digital media, data collection, protection, U.S. bishops, USCCB, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

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