Sen Markey (D-MA): Kids Need Online Privacy 'Constitution'

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At an event celebrating the 20th anniversary of his Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), Sen Ed Markey (D-MA) said protecting children's privacy is a moving target, but a target that must be hit -- including taking on big companies who collect and mine children's data. Sen Markey said his strategy will be to push for extending COPPA protections to all children under 16 (currently it is under 13) and for an eraser button that allows parents and kids to delete information from their online history (the California privacy bill has such an eraser button). Sen Markey said the government should not preempt state laws that protect children's online privacy, which would include California's new privacy law, but should instead produce a children's online privacy protection "constitution" of basic rights. He said his Do Not Track Kids Act--which he has been pushing for years--must be included in any comprehensive privacy law, or alternatively passed as a stand-alone bill. The senator also put in a plug for creating a commission and funding a $95 million research project on the impact of technology on kids and their relationships and well being, including any connection to addiction or suicidal thoughts.


Sen Markey (D-MA): Kids Need Online Privacy 'Constitution'