This week marks the one-year anniversary of the updated rules for the implementation of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
The Apps Alliance is committed to helping developers understand the new COPPA rules:
- The Alliance partnered with Holland & Knight to create a video guide to help developers consider whether they need to comply with COPPA rules.
- In an episode of Voices of the Industry, the Apps Alliance podcast series, AgeCheq’s Roy Smith talks through what developers should consider when building apps for kids.
- Alliance member Famigo authored this 10 Step Guide to COPPA Compliance.
Read what some Alliance members are saying on this COPPA milestone:
Matt McDonnell, COO, Famigo: One thing that is clear on COPPA’s first anniversary is that those developers that are doing their best to comply are bearing higher compliance costs than non-compliant developers. But the more interesting impact on compliant developers is that they’re bearing the additional cost of educating parents about their responsibilities as the fiduciaries of their children’s data. COPPA has set a new floor for privacy practices but being a responsible corporate citizen means much more than simply not breaking the law.
Dan Nelson, Founder & CEO, Kpass: In the last year, we have seen many new solutions for apps to leverage COPPA 2.0’s requirements as a way to connect kids and parents in safer and easier ways than ever before. We are excited that the internet is moving in a more privacy protected direction. However, any long-term progress will depend on guidance from the FTC by communicating and enforcing these laws.
Roy Smith, CEO, AgeCheq: COPPA and similar privacy laws in other countries around the world are not going to go away anytime soon. And they will be enforced. The general public’s increasing interest in online privacy, the explosion of mobile devices and their ability to capture private information and the huge amounts of money being made by the top developers who target children; all of these trends point inexorably to a regulated future for the mobile gaming market that will leave behind the “wild west” days when you could just grab the data you needed and go.
