Jodie Bernstein, Director of the US Federal Trade Commission's
Bureau of Consumer Protection, presented Federal Trade Commission
(FTC) testimony on Thursday last week before the Subcommittee on
Courts and Intellectual Property of the House Judiciary Committee
on the Commission's activities to date in the area of on-line
privacy, particularly with respect to its role in implementing and
enforcing the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
According to Bernstein, the Commission's work to protect
children's on-line privacy is one of several ongoing efforts to
help promote privacy protections for all on-line consumers in the
US.
Bernstein outlined the FTC's role since 1995 at the "forefront
of the public debate on on-line privacy." She discussed Commission
activities, including holding public workshops, examining web site
information practices and disclosures regarding the collection,
use, and transfer of personal information, and encouraging
self-regulatory efforts and technological developments intended to
enhance consumer privacy protections.
US Congress enacted COPPA to protect children from efforts of
on-line marketers to collect personally identifying information
from young consumers without parental involvement. The legislation
required the FTC to issue rules implementing its requirements
within one year of its enactment. The Commission issued the final
Rule in October 1999, which became effective last month.
The Commission's testimony stated that enforcement will play an
important role in ensuring compliance with the law. "We have been
impressed by the substantial commitment the online industry has
made to the implementation of the statute and the fair information
practices principles that underlay it. Nonetheless we believe that
along with education, enforcement will play a critical role in the
Act's success."
The Commission expects to receive referrals from various groups
to identify rule violations. In addition, Bernstein said the
Commission will "hold surf days in which FTC staff work together
with other enforcement agencies to identify sites that are not in
compliance with the law."
