FTC Seeks Public Comment on AgeCheq, Inc., Proposal for Parental Verification Method Under COPPA Rule

The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on a proposed verifiable parental consent method that AgeCheq, Inc., has submitted for Commission approval under the agency’s Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule.

Under the rule, online sites and services directed at children must obtain permission from a child’s parents before collecting personal information from that child. The rule lays out a number of acceptable methods for gaining parental consent, but also includes a provision allowing interested parties to submit new verifiable parental consent methods to the Commission for approval.

In a Federal Register notice to be published shortly, the FTC is seeking public comment about the proposed AgeCheq verifiable parental consent method; whether the proposed method is already covered by the existing methods included in the rule and whether it meets the rule’s requirement that it be reasonably calculated to ensure that the person providing the consent is actually the child’s parent. The Commission also seeks comment on whether the program poses a risk to consumers’ information and whether that risk is outweighed by the benefits of the program. The comment period will last until Sept. 30, 2014.

NOTE: Publication of this Federal Register notice does not indicate Commission approval of the program. The Commission has 120 days to review proposed verifiable parental consent methods and must set forth its conclusions in writing.

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