As we ring in the new year, we want to make you aware of key issues that we expect lawmakers and regulators to focus on this year. Below are the top U.S. data, privacy, and cybersecurity issues to watch out for in 2026:Continue Reading 2026 Year in Preview: U.S. Data, Privacy, and Cybersecurity Prediction
Companies that may have child users, or whose competitors have child users, take note. On January 16, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced the final amendments to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule). At a high level, the COPPA Rule requires websites or online services to provide notice and obtain verifiable parental consent before collecting information from children under the age of 13. The Rule’s amendments slightly expand the Rule’s scope, change the previous notice and consent provisions, and implement new data security requirements. Violations of the Rule would be subject to $53,088 in civil penalties per violation.Continue Reading New Federal Children’s Privacy Requirements Are Not Child’s Play: FTC Amends COPPA Rule, Imposing New Obligations on Child-Directed Services
On June 18, 2024, the California Attorney General and the Los Angeles City Attorney (collectively, “the People”) announced a settlement with Tilting Point Media LLC (Tilting Point). The settlement resolves allegations that Tilting Point violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the Privacy Rights for California Minors in the Digital World Act (Digital Privacy for Minors Act).Continue Reading Video Game App Developer Agrees to Pay $500,000 for Children’s and Minors’ CCPA, COPPA, and Ads Violations
On December 20, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced proposed changes to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule (COPPA Rule) that would place significant new restrictions on companies that collect personal information from children under 13.Continue Reading FTC Proposes Significant Changes to COPPA Rule
On October 24, 2023, a bipartisan coalition of 33 states’ attorneys general filed suit against Meta Platforms, Inc., alleging in a lengthy complaint that Meta’s social media platform features are unsafe and designed to induce young users’ compulsive and extended use.[1] According to the complaint, which is currently heavily redacted, Meta engaged in a four-part “scheme” to exploit young users for profit. The alleged scheme involved the following:Continue Reading Coalition of States Sues Meta for Alleged Harms to Children and Teens, and Alleged COPPA Violations
On August 30, 2022, the California legislature passed the California Age-Appropriate Design Code Act (the Act). Modeled after the UK’s Age-Appropriate Design Code, California’s act drastically changes the landscape of online privacy and content availability for minors in California. The Act goes beyond the current federal protections of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and could impose onerous new requirements on companies that were and were not previously covered by COPPA. These requirements include, among other things, estimating the ages of minors using the company’s online services; conducting detailed Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) for new and existing products; significantly restricting the collection, use, and sharing of minors’ personal information; and configuring default privacy settings to a “high level of privacy.” If the bill is signed into law by Governor Newsom, the Act would come into effect July 1, 2024.
Continue Reading California Legislature Passes Far-Reaching Online Privacy and Content Regulation Bill for Minors
On May 19, 2022, at an open commission meeting, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) voted unanimously to: 1) release a new policy statement on the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) indicating that the FTC will prioritize enforcement of COPPA’s substantive provisions and closely scrutinize EdTech providers; and 2) publish a request for public comment on proposed amendments to the Endorsement Guides (the guides) that are intended to bring them in line with current advertising practices. This was the first open commission meeting for Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya, whose confirmation on May 11 broke the FTC’s months-long 2-2 split along party lines.
Continue Reading FTC Votes Unanimously to Release New COPPA Policy Statement and Proposed Amendments to the Endorsement Guides