Children's Privacy Remains a Congressional Focus

The US Senate has voted two children's privacy-related bills out of committee and set them up for a floor vote. These bills would make online privacy a much bigger commitment for US businesses. One would expand the existing Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) to cover teenagers through age 17. The other would impose affirmative duties on covered tech companies to prevent harm to minors, would expand research of how social media and online presence affect children, and would mandate more transparency in the use of algorithms in connection with minors online.  

Why It Matters

The majority of businesses are unlikely to be affected directly by these new proposed regulations; but any company with an online user base of underage children would have to pay close attention if the laws pass. Advertisers and their marketing/advertising service providers would also have to ensure they do not use sophisticated targeting and other technologies with children in violation of any new law or regulation.