Privacy & Information Security Law Blog

On May 6, 2013, the Federal Trade Commission announced that it had voted unanimously to reject a request from industry groups to delay the July 1, 2013 deadline for implementation of the updated Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (the “Rule”). The groups had argued that the delay was necessary because they needed more time to comply with the changes to the Rule, which the FTC promulgated on December 19, 2012. In its response to the groups, the FTC asserted that the groups have been on notice of the changes since the beginning of the rulemaking process over three years ago, and a number of the updates constitute only minor changes from existing standards and obligations. The FTC’s letter also indicated that, in appropriate cases, in the months immediately following the implementation deadline, the FTC might exercise prosecutorial discretion with respect to small entities that have made a good-faith effort to comply with the updated Rule.

View the text of the updated COPPA Rule.