Online Privacy and Safety for Students

Falisha Philips

What is COPPA?

Children's Online Privacy Act • Federal Trade Commission(FTC) found

that too much information was being collected about children(full name, address, phone numbers, social security numbers)

• 2000 COPPA started

COPPA

• Covers all sites that are made for children or have content that children would view

• Specifically for children under 13• Ensures that all sites will have

– Clear privacy policy links BrainPOP - Animated Educational Site for Kids - Science, Social Studies, English, Math, Arts

– How information is collected and used– Contact information for parents

*Law will be updated July 1, 2013

Marketing to Children

Sites that children were visiting were planting cookies into the computer that tracked sites

Allowed companies to follow interests and send spam ads

COPPA helps prevent this

Tips for Protecting Your Kids

How to keep your family safe•Stay computer literate•Keep computer in a common area•Share email accounts•Bookmark favorite sites•Block chat sites•Insist on a contract

• http://kids.getnetwise.org/tools/toolscontracts.php

• Have clear family rules • Check out the privacy policies

Ideas for Teachers

Teach online safety though

gameshttp://webwisekids.org/

By using analogies and stories

Role- playing

Guest speakers

Software

• No software will be foolproof• Kids can be smarter than software• Filters: porn, some out going information,

chats• Possible software

– CyberPatrol– CyberSitter– CyberSnoop– NetNanny

Remember…

• You could take all the safety measures and still end up with inappropriate pop-ups on your computer

• The best thing to do is to tech your children how to:– Avoid certain sites– Know spam from something real– Understand that not everything on

the internet is real

Warning Signs

What to look for if you think your child has been targeted

• Long hours on the computer• Being on late at night

• Gifts• Odd phone calls

• Withdrawn• Quickly hiding content when you come in

Who Can You Contact?

If you have any suspicions that your child has been targeted or a site is not following COPPA you can contact:

* 877-FTCHELP

* Ftc.gov

* Federal Trade Commissions

CRC- 240

Washington, D.C 20580

Reference Page

• BrainPop.com • Dowshen, Steven. “Internet Safety” KidsHealth. Nemours

Foundation. June 2011. Web. February 2013. • “Fact Sheet 21: Children’s Online Privacy: A Resource Guide for

Parents” Privacy Rights Clearinghouse Empowering Consumers. Protecting Privacy. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. January 2013. Web. February 2013.

• “Make an Internet Use Agreement with Your Child” GetNetWise. Internet Education Foundation. 2008. Web. February 2013.

• Stansbury, Mary. “10 Ways Schools are Teaching Internet Safety” eSchool News. eSchoolMedia and eSchoolNews. November 2011. Web. Februaury 2013.

• http://webwisekids.org/