Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1982 (COPPA)
The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA) protects children’s safety and privacy online by limiting the collection of personally identifiable information (PII) from children without their parents’ consent.
COPPA applies to commercial websites and online services directed towards children under 13 years of age. It is not imposed on schools and applies to providers with knowledge that they have collected personal information from children in the specified age group.
What are the penalties for non-compliance?
The Federal Trade Commission enforces COPPA and there are significant penalties granted to providers for non-compliance. For example, the FTC settled with Google for its YouTube service for a record $170 million in 2019.
The FTC can file a civil action with violators liable for civil penalties of up to $43,280 per violation.
