Green lights, red flags, blue lobster: FTC Rules of the Road for Business heads to Cleveland
By: Seena Gressin | Oct 19, 2020 9:24AM
Ohioans know how to handle the virtually impossible.
Green lights, red flags, blue lobster: FTC Rules of the Road for Business heads to Cleveland
By: Seena Gressin | Oct 19, 2020 9:24AM
Ohioans know how to handle the virtually impossible.
Green Lights & Red Flags: FTC Rules of the Road for Business rocks on in Cleveland
By: Seena Gressin | Sep 21, 2020 12:03PM
Natives and fans heartily agree that “Cleveland Rocks!” That’s why the Federal Trade Commission and its Ohio partners are ready to roll with the next installment of Green Lights & Red Flags: FTC Rules of the Road for Business, set to make its online debut on October 29, 2020, from Cleveland.
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Navigating the world of kids’ marketing: Best Practice Principles from ICPEN
By: Stacy Feuer, Assistant Director for International Consumer Protection, FTC | Aug 17, 2020 11:59AM
As parents know, kids spend a huge amount of time online, especially now with COVID-19 school and camp closures. They get ideas from influencers on social media and video platforms, make purchases on their smartphones, and influence a lot of family spending. This phenomenon is not limited to the U.S. alone.
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Tidying up: Decluttering the COPPA FAQs
By: Lesley Fair | Jul 22, 2020 11:49AM
Maybe it’s the influence of that best-selling book on home organization or perhaps the silos of stuff in our makeshift home offices are becoming more noticeable. Either way, people are in a decluttering mood – and we are, too. Our recent project: updating and streamlining Complying with COPPA: Frequently Asked Questions, known as the COPPA FAQs. But not to worry. The revisions don’t raise new policy issues and our COPPA Rule review continues.
Do your COPPA Safe Harbor claims hold water?
By: Lesley Fair | May 19, 2020 12:06PM
Way back in Marketing 101, we learned that consumers factor a number of features into their purchase decisions: price, performance, product positioning, and personal preference, to name just a few. The FTC’s proposed settlement with game developer Miniclip serves as a reminder of another important alliterative consideration for many consumers: privacy.
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COPPA Guidance for Ed Tech Companies and Schools during the Coronavirus
By: Lisa Weintraub Schifferle | Apr 9, 2020 8:18AM
“Social distancing,” “shelter-in-place,” “virtual happy hour”— these are some of the new expressions on everyone’s lips the past few weeks. For many, add “remote learning” to the list. Because of school closures, millions of students are now using online, education technology (or “ed tech”) services to engage in remote learning from home. And while this fills a vital need, it’s important to keep in mind that many of these ed tech services collect and use student’s personal information.
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FTC’s Privacy & Data Security Update for 2019 – and how you can use it
By: Lesley Fair | Feb 25, 2020 10:05AM
To review everything the FTC did in 2019 dealing with consumer privacy and data security – Enforcement, Advocacy, Rules, Workshops, Consumer Education, Business Guidance, and International Engagement – it could take days to compile all that information. The FTC has an easier way to share those developments with your company, clients, and colleagues.
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FTC consumer protection year in review offers 2020 vision for your business
By: Lesley Fair | Jan 8, 2020 9:26AM
They say hindsight is 20/20, but what about foresight? We’re not ones to prognosticate, but a look at notable FTC cases and initiatives from the past year suggests some topics likely to be top of mind in months to come. Here is a non-exhaustive list of issues in our 2019 rearview mirror and likely visible through the 2020 windshield.
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COPPA comment deadline extended to December 11th
By: Lesley Fair | Dec 10, 2019 9:56AM
The FTC has extended the deadline for filing comments as part of its review of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule. You now have until 11:59 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, December 11, 2019.
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YouTube channel owners: Is your content directed to children?
By: Kristin Cohen, Assistant Director, Division of Privacy & Identity Protection, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection | Nov 22, 2019 12:56PM
Under COPPA, how do I know if my channel is “directed to children”? Since the FTC and New York Attorney General announced their September 2019 settlement with YouTube for violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule, we’ve heard that question from channel owners – sometimes called content creators.
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FTC takes action against stalking apps
By: Lesley Fair | Oct 22, 2019 9:10AM
You know that eerie feeling that someone is following your every move? If someone secretly installed a “stalking app” or “stalkerware” sold by Retina-X Studios, LLC, onto your mobile device, that strange sensation could be way more than a feeling. A complaint against the developer and marketer alleges violations of the FTC Act and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule.
Finding it COPPA-cated to draft your comment? You have more time.
By: Lesley Fair | Oct 17, 2019 2:04PM
The FTC regularly revisits rules on the books to make sure they’re effective and up to date. Right now the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule is under review. We asked for public comments in July and hosted a workshop on the Future of the COPPA Rule earlier this month.
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Watch the COPPA workshop via webcast
By: Lesley Fair | Oct 7, 2019 8:14AM
What’s the future of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule? That’s the subject of today’s FTC workshop. If you’re COPPA-conscious, watch the webcast. The link will go live moments before the 9:00 ET start time.
Future of the COPPA Rule: What’s on the agenda
By: Lesley Fair | Oct 1, 2019 11:46AM
Technology changes at the speed of light, but the touchstone of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule remains constant. When it comes to the collection of their kids’ personal information online, parents are in charge. But how does that principle apply in technologies not originally anticipated by the COPPA Rule?
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$170 million FTC-NY YouTube settlement offers COPPA compliance tips for platforms and providers
By: Lesley Fair | Sep 4, 2019 9:16AM
Had you asked yesterday, we would have said the largest financial remedy for violations of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act Rule was $5.7 million. Today’s $170 million total monetary judgment against YouTube and its parent company Google raises the stakes when it comes to COPPA compliance. Filed jointly with the New York Attorney General’s Office, the record-breaking FTC settlement offers three primary takeaways for other companies.
New block on the kids? FTC announces COPPA review and workshop
By: Lesley Fair | Jul 17, 2019 3:29PM
No – nobody is really suggesting a block on kids. But the FTC is taking a fresh look at the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule and we couldn’t resist the title’s reference to 90s tweens’ favorite boy band, now parents themselves. For years we’ve been “Hangin’ Tough” about the need to protect kids’ personal information online, but it’s time for a “Step By Step” review of the COPPA Rule.
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i-Dressup and a data security mess-up
By: Lesley Fair | Apr 24, 2019 3:08PM
Kids love to play dress-up, but parents wouldn’t want them rummaging through the attic or climbing to the top shelf of the wardrobe without permission and proper supervision. The i-Dressup.com website offered users – including children – a virtual way to play dress-up and design clothes without those potential dangers.
FTC’s 2018 Privacy & Data Security Update: What it means for your business
By: Lesley Fair | Mar 15, 2019 10:02AM
Looking to take a deep dive into the breadth and depth of the FTC’s approach to consumer privacy and data security in the past year? The FTC’s website, including the Business Center, has what you need. But what if you or your clients prefer an at-your-fingertips digest of developments in 2018? We’re got that covered, too.
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Largest FTC COPPA settlement requires Musical.ly to change its tune
By: Lesley Fair | Feb 27, 2019 12:57PM
We’ll confess to singing along to a Stevie Nicks song or doing an air guitar solo when no one’s looking. But some people take their lip syncing to the next level. More than 200 million people – 65 million of them in the U.S. – downloaded the Musical.ly app. It gave users a platform to create videos and synchronize them with popular songs. It also allowed users to interact directly with each other. That may sound like fun for aficionados, but it raises concerns for parents, especially given public reports that adults have used the Musical.ly app to contact children.
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Hey Nineteen: Nine FTC developments that could impact your business in 2019
By: Lesley Fair | Jan 28, 2019 2:40PM
Steely Dan may be one of the best duos of the rock era. (Sorry, Donnie and Marie fans.) Their song “Hey Nineteen” reminds us to mention some FTC consumer protection developments that could be of interest to your company or clients in 2019. As “Any Major Dude Will Tell You,” when you’re “Reelin’ in the Years” – or at least recapping the past one – consider this non-exhaustive and in-no-particular-order case compilation.
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