Today US Congress introduced the Do Not Track Kids Act of 2013 aiming to protect children and teens as they increasingly spend more time online. The legislation would prohibit Internet companies from sending targeted advertising to children and minors and collecting personal and location information without parental or individual consent. Moreover, rules for marketing to younger teens are put in place to ensure that they are more protected when surfing the Internet. They require website operators to implement an “eraser button” to allow children and teens to delete personal information that they publicly post online.
Consumers Union praised the bill as important in ensuring that kids and teens are not vulnerable to marketers or accidentally overshare personal information on social networks when using the Internet.
Delara Derakhshani, Policy Counsel for Consumers Union, said “This is a pro-consumer legislation that would help strengthen online protections for teens and children. Parents would be given more control over the personal information that online companies collect from their kids. It would also provide better web tools for deleting photos and other information that teens and children post online. This is a common-sense measure for helping families navigate the Internet.”
Further information: http://consumersunion.org/news/cu-do-not-track-kids-bill-key-to-protecting-children-online/
Source: Consumer Union