Today, more and more children are using the Internet to access the wealth of knowledge and communication that it offers. Because we understand that protecting children's privacy online is a very important job for parents we wanted to provide tips to help you.
- It is now the law for Web sites to put added protections in place to protect the privacy of children under 13. One of the core tenets of the law is that Web sites must get verifiable parental consent before engaging in ongoing communications with a child.
- Establish a clear set of online rules for your children by posting a list of online safety rules by your computer. For a good set of rules, download a privacy guide at: www.truste.org.
- Teach your children not to give out their names or other personal information online without your permission--just as they should not talk to strangers! Tell your children to get your permission before responding to online surveys or to games, clubs, or prizes that require personal information for eligibility.
- If a Web site tries to get your child's personal information without your okay, you should report that site to the Federal Trade Commission. See www.ftc.gov.
- Decide whether to approve information collection from your kids based on new uses for the information. Website operators will let you know about the need for new consent by sending you a new notice and request. They will do this when they are changing the terms-of-use of the information in a "material" or significant way.
- Periodically make the rounds of Web sites your child is accessing and ask the Web site operator to see the information your child has submitted. The site will ask you to verify your identity to ensure that your child's information isn't given out improperly.
- Understand that you may revoke your consent at any time and have your child's information deleted. To stop a Web site from collecting additional information from your child, you can revoke your consent. You also may ask a site to delete any personal information it has already collected from your child.
- As an added measure of protection, look into purchasing parental control software, which can assist you in supervising online activity when you can't be with your children. There are software tools that block children from transmitting personal information online, give them Internet access to only those sites predetermined by you or only at certain times of the day, and provide you with a report of the places your children visit online. Parental control software is inexpensive and easy to install on your computer.
- Find out whether your Internet service provider has the technology to restrict children's access to specified sites and prevent online data transactions. A number of commercial online providers have this technology, and all you need to do is request that it be activated.