The Federal Trade Commission will release its updates to
enforcement of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Wednesday (Dec. 19)
according to various legislators who will join in the unveiling.
In separate releases on Tuesday, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.
Va.), and Reps. Joe Barton (R-Texas) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said they would
join FTC chair Jon Leibowitz in the announcement on the Hill. All three have
been among the most vocal congressional advocates for greater privacy
protections for kids.
Rockefeller announced he would be hosting the announcement
in the Russell Senate Office Building along with Leibowitz and Sen. Mark Pryor
(D-Ark.), followed not long after by the announcement by Markey's office that
he and Barton would be there as well.
TheFTC has proposed to make ad networks subject to COPPA when they are
collecting personal information through a child-directed website, as well as adding
behavioral advertising tracking cookies and geolocationinformation to the definition of kids' personal information that behavioral
marketers and websites must get permission from parents to obtain.
Markeyand Barton have proposed a kids' do-not-track bill and Rockefeller has
backed legislation that would apply to adults and kids.
Cable
and wireless operators said that there could be unintended consequences to
the changes as proposed, including putting a crimp in TV Everywhere online delivery
of kids content.
