consumer.ftc.gov Open in urlscan Pro
2a02:26f0:2100:29c::2031  Public Scan

Form analysis
2 forms found in the DOM

GET https://consumer.ftc.gov/search/site-cfg

<form action="https://consumer.ftc.gov/search/site-cfg" method="get" id="views-exposed-form-cfg-search-page-1" accept-charset="UTF-8" class="views-exposed-form usa-form">
  <div class="views--exposed-show">
    <div class="form-item js-form-item form-type-select js-form-type-select form-item-items-per-page js-form-item-items-per-page">
      <label for="edit-items-per-page" class="usa-label control-label">Items per page</label>
      <div class="select-wrapper">
        <select data-drupal-selector="edit-items-per-page" id="edit-items-per-page" name="items_per_page" class="form-select usa-select">
          <option value="20" selected="selected">20</option>
          <option value="50">50</option>
          <option value="100">100</option>
        </select>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="form__content">
    <fieldset class="usa-fieldset group-filters">
      <legend class="usa-legend usa-sr-only">Filters</legend>
      <div class="fieldset__content">
        <div class="form-item js-form-item form-type-textfield js-form-type-textfield form-item-search-api-fulltext js-form-item-search-api-fulltext">
          <label for="edit-search-api-fulltext" class="usa-label control-label">Fulltext search</label>
          <input data-drupal-selector="edit-search-api-fulltext" type="search" id="edit-search-api-fulltext" name="search_api_fulltext" value="" size="30" maxlength="128" placeholder="Enter a search term..." class="form-text">
        </div>
      </div>
    </fieldset>
    <div data-drupal-selector="edit-actions" class="form-actions js-form-wrapper form-wrapper" id="edit-actions"><input data-drupal-selector="edit-submit-cfg-search" type="submit" id="edit-submit-cfg-search" value="Search"
        class="button js-form-submit form-submit usa-button"></div>
  </div>
</form>

GET https://consumer.ftc.gov/search/site-cfg

<form action="https://consumer.ftc.gov/search/site-cfg" method="get" id="views-exposed-form-cfg-search-page-1" accept-charset="UTF-8" class="views-exposed-form usa-form">
  <div class="views--exposed-show">
    <div class="form-item js-form-item form-type-select js-form-type-select form-item-items-per-page js-form-item-items-per-page">
      <label for="edit-items-per-page--2" class="usa-label control-label">Items per page</label>
      <div class="select-wrapper">
        <select data-drupal-selector="edit-items-per-page" id="edit-items-per-page--2" name="items_per_page" class="form-select usa-select">
          <option value="20" selected="selected">20</option>
          <option value="50">50</option>
          <option value="100">100</option>
        </select>
      </div>
    </div>
  </div>
  <div class="form__content">
    <fieldset class="usa-fieldset group-filters">
      <legend class="usa-legend usa-sr-only">Filters</legend>
      <div class="fieldset__content">
        <div class="form-item js-form-item form-type-textfield js-form-type-textfield form-item-search-api-fulltext js-form-item-search-api-fulltext">
          <label for="edit-search-api-fulltext--2" class="usa-label control-label">Fulltext search</label>
          <input data-drupal-selector="edit-search-api-fulltext" type="search" id="edit-search-api-fulltext--2" name="search_api_fulltext" value="" size="30" maxlength="128" placeholder="Enter a search term..." class="form-text">
        </div>
      </div>
    </fieldset>
    <div data-drupal-selector="edit-actions" class="form-actions js-form-wrapper form-wrapper" id="edit-actions--2"><input data-drupal-selector="edit-submit-cfg-search-2" type="submit" id="edit-submit-cfg-search--2" value="Search"
        class="button js-form-submit form-submit usa-button"></div>
  </div>
</form>

Text Content

Skip to main content

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Here's how you know

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive
information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that
any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

 * Español

 * Report Fraud
 * Read Consumer Alerts
 * Get Consumer Alerts
 * Visit ftc.gov


Menu


CFG: MAIN MENU MEGA

 * Show/hide Shopping and Donating menu items
   
   
   SHOPPING AND DONATING
   
   Make smart shopping decisions, know your rights, and solve problems when you
   shop or donate to charity.
   
   View Shopping and Donating
   
   
   VIDEO
   
   
   
   
   TOPICS
   
   
   TOPICS
   
    * Shopping
    * For the Home
    * Health
    * Funerals
    * Buying and Owning a Car
    * Donating to Charity
   
   
   CONSUMER ALERTS
   
   
   THIS HALLOWEEN, DON’T GET GHOSTED BY SCAMMERS
   
   October 26, 2023
   Andrew Rayo
   Halloween is almost here. What could be scarier than not having your costume
   ready? How about ordering a costume online and never getting what you paid
   for? Scammers are making this season extra spooky by pretending to be real
   companies like Spirit Halloween and Party City. But it’s all a trick. Here’s
   what to know.
   
   View all Consumer Alerts
   
   Get Consumer Alerts

 * Show/hide Credit, Loans, and Debt menu items
   
   
   CREDIT, LOANS, AND DEBT
   
   Learn about getting and using credit, borrowing money, and managing debt.
   
   View Credit, Loans, and Debt
   
   
   VIDEO
   
   
   
   
   TOPICS
   
   
   TOPICS
   
    * Credit and Debt
    * Loans and Mortgages
   
   
   CONSUMER ALERTS
   
   
   VETERANS: NEED HELP WITH MORTGAGE DEBT? KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
   
   November 8, 2023
   Carol Kando-Pineda
   Scammers call or email, pretending to be from the VA or your home loan
   servicer. They claim if you pay them an upfront fee, they can get you a loan
   modification or refinancing to avoid foreclosure, so you can keep your home.
   But that’s illegal. Do you know your rights when it comes to getting relief
   for your mortgage debt?
   
   View all Consumer Alerts
   
   Get Consumer Alerts

 * Show/hide Jobs and Making Money menu items
   
   
   JOBS AND MAKING MONEY
   
   What to know when you're looking for a job or more education, or considering
   a money-making opportunity or investment.
   
   View Jobs and Making Money
   
   
   VIDEO
   
   
   
   
   TOPICS
   
   
   TOPICS
   
    * Money-Making Opportunities and Investments
    * Jobs
    * Education and Training
   
   
   CONSUMER ALERTS
   
   
   JOB SCAM TARGETING INFLUENCERS
   
   October 17, 2023
   Larissa Bungo
   Did you get a message from a “brand ambassador manager” for a national
   company wanting to pay you to promote their products online? It could be a
   scam…but how will you know?
   
   View all Consumer Alerts
   
   Get Consumer Alerts

 * Show/hide Unwanted Calls, Emails, and Texts menu items
   
   
   UNWANTED CALLS, EMAILS, AND TEXTS
   
   What to do about unwanted calls, emails, and text messages that can be
   annoying, might be illegal, and are probably scams.
   
   View Unwanted Calls, Emails, and Texts
   
   
   VIDEO
   
   
   
   
   TOPICS
   
   
   TOPICS
   
    * Unwanted Calls
    * Unwanted Emails, Texts, and Mail
   
   
   CONSUMER ALERTS
   
   
   WHAT TO DO IF YOU’RE BILLED FOR AN SBA EIDL OR PPP LOAN YOU DON’T OWE
   
   September 26, 2023
   Rosario Méndez
   Did you get a bill for a Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection
   Program (PPP) loan or COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) you never
   applied for? If the answer is yes, an identity thief probably used your
   personal information to get the loan. Here's how to report this problem and
   start the SBA review process to help you clear up any credit problems the
   identity theft may have caused.
   
   View all Consumer Alerts
   
   Get Consumer Alerts

 * Show/hide Identity Theft and Online Security menu items
   
   
   IDENTITY THEFT AND ONLINE SECURITY
   
   How to protect your personal information and privacy, stay safe online, and
   help your kids do the same.
   
   View Identity Theft and Online Security
   
   
   VIDEO
   
   
   
   
   TOPICS
   
   
   TOPICS
   
    * Identity Theft
    * Online Privacy and Security
    * Protecting Kids Online
   
   
   CONSUMER ALERTS
   
   
   NEW HELP FOR SPOTTING, AVOIDING, AND REPORTING SCAMS IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES
   
   November 8, 2023
   Larissa Bungo
   Scammers speak your language. That's why the FTC now takes reports in
   multiple languages. To report in Mandarin, Tagalog, Vietnamese, French,
   Arabic, Korean, Russian, Portuguese, Polish, and many other languages, call
   the FTC at (877) 382-4357. Press 3 to speak to an interpreter. To report
   identity theft, call (877) 438-4338 and choose the option for your preferred
   language. Lines are open between 9am-5pm Eastern.
   
   View all Consumer Alerts
   
   Get Consumer Alerts

 * Scams
 * Search Show/hide Search menu items
   Items per page
   20 50 100
   Filters
   Fulltext search
   

 * Español

 * Report Fraud
 * Read Consumer Alerts
 * Get Consumer Alerts
 * Visit ftc.gov


CFG: MAIN NAVIGATION

 * Shopping and Donating Show/hide Shopping and Donating menu items
   * Shopping
   * For the Home
   * Health
   * Funerals
   * Buying and Owning a Car
   * Donating to Charity
 * Credit, Loans, and Debt Show/hide Credit, Loans, and Debt menu items
   * Credit and Debt
   * Loans and Mortgages
 * Jobs and Making Money Show/hide Jobs and Making Money menu items
   * Money-Making Opportunities and Investments
   * Jobs
   * Education and Training
 * Unwanted Calls, Emails, and Texts Show/hide Unwanted Calls, Emails, and Texts
   menu items
   * Unwanted Calls
   * Unwanted Emails, Texts, and Mail
 * Identity Theft and Online Security Show/hide Identity Theft and Online
   Security menu items
   * Identity Theft
   * Online Privacy and Security
   * Protecting Kids Online
 * Scams Show/hide Scams menu items
   * Gift Card Scams
   * Government and Business Impersonators
   * Phone Scams
   * Romance Scams
   * Scams Against Immigrants
   * Scams Against Older Adults
   * Scams Against Small Businesses
   * Wire Transfer Scams

Items per page
20 50 100
Filters
Fulltext search



BREADCRUMB

 1. Home
 2. Articles

Vea esta página en español
Article


PROTECTING YOUR CHILD’S PRIVACY ONLINE


Printable PDF
Order Free Copies

As a parent, you have control over the personal information companies collect
online from your kids under 13. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
gives you tools to do that. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer
protection agency, enforces the COPPA Rule. If a site or service is covered by
COPPA, it has to get your consent before collecting personal information from
your child and it has to honor your choices about how that information is used.

 * What is COPPA?
 * Does COPPA affect the sites and services my kids use?  
 * How does COPPA work?
 * What are my choices? 
 * What if it looks like a site or service is breaking the rules? 


WHAT IS COPPA?  

The COPPA Rule was put in place to protect kids’ personal information on
websites and online services — including apps — that are directed to children
under 13. The Rule also applies to a general audience site that knows it’s
collecting personal information from kids that age. 

COPPA requires those sites and services to notify parents directly and get their
approval before they collect, use, or disclose a child’s personal information.
Personal information in the world of COPPA includes a kid’s name, address, phone
number or email address; their physical whereabouts; photos, videos and audio
recordings of the child, and persistent identifiers, like IP addresses, that can
be used to track a child’s activities over time and across different websites
and online services.


DOES COPPA AFFECT THE SITES AND SERVICES MY KIDS USE?

If the site or service doesn’t collect your child’s personal information, COPPA
is not a factor. COPPA kicks in only when sites covered by the Rule collect
certain personal information from your kids. Practically speaking, COPPA puts
you in charge of your child’s personal information.


HOW DOES COPPA WORK?

COPPA works like this: Let’s say your child wants to use features on a site or
download an app that collects their personal information. Before they can, you
should get a plain language notice about what information the site will collect,
how it will use it, and how you can provide your consent. For example, you may
get an email from a company letting you know your child has started the process
for signing up for a site or service that requires your child to give personal
information. Or you may get that notice on the screen where you can consent to
the collection of your child’s personal information.

The notice should link to a privacy policy that’s also plain to read — and in
language that’s easy to understand. The privacy policy must give details about
the kind of information the site collects, and what it might do with the
information — say, if it plans to use the information to target advertising to a
child or give or sell the information to other companies. In addition, the
policy should state that those other companies have agreed to keep the
information safe and confidential, and how to contact someone who can answer
your questions.

That notice also should have directions on how to give your consent. Sites and
services have some flexibility in how to do that. For example, some may ask you
to send back a permission slip. Others may have a toll-free number you can call.

If you agree to let the site or service collect personal information from your
child, it has a legal obligation to keep it secure.   


WHAT ARE MY CHOICES?

The first choice is whether you’re comfortable with the site’s information
practices. Start by reading how the company plans to use your child’s
information. 

Then, it’s about how much consent you want to give. For example, you might give
the company permission to collect your child’s personal information, but not
allow it to share that information with others. 

Once you give a site or service permission to collect personal information from
your child, you’re still in control. As the parent, you have the right to review
the information collected about your child. If you ask to see the information,
keep in mind that website operators need to make sure you are the parent before
providing you access. You also have the right to retract your consent any time,
and to have any information collected about your child deleted.


WHAT IF IT LOOKS LIKE A SITE OR SERVICE IS BREAKING THE RULES? 

If you think a site has collected information from your kids or marketed to them
in a way that violates the law, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Search Terms
consumer privacy
COPPA
kids
personal information
File
Download PDF pdf-0001-netcetera.pdf (1.88 MB)
Topics
Identity Theft and Online Security
Protecting Kids Online
September 2011
Related Items
Talk to Your Kids

Return to top

Menu


CFG: FOOTER MENU

 * Feature Pages
 * Articles
 * Consumer Alerts
 * Videos


CFG: FOOTER MENU RIGHT

 * Report Fraud
 * Get Consumer Alerts


CFG: FOOTER

 * ftc.gov
 * About Us
 * Contact Us
 * Privacy and Notices
 * FOIA
 * Office of Inspector General

(link is external)
(link is external)
(link is external)



✓
Thanks for sharing!
AddToAny
More…