What are the Acceptable Methods for Parental Consent for COPPA?
The FTC standard for COPPA compliance remains clear on acceptable methods for obtaining verifiable parental consent when collecting personal information from children under the age of 13. While pre-approval of any method is not required by the FTC, it must be legally compliant.
The FTC guidance entitled Children’s Online Privacy Protection Rule: A Six-Step Compliance Plan for Your Business outlines acceptable methods as follows:
Acceptable methods include having the parent:
• Sign a consent form and send it back to you via fax, mail, or electronic scan;
• Use a credit card, debit card, or other online payment system that provides notification of each separate transaction to the account holder;
• Call a toll-free number staffed by trained personnel;
• Connect to trained personnel via a video conference; or
• Provide a copy of a form of government issued ID that you check against a database, as long as you delete the identification from your records when you finish the verification process.
For more information, see here: https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/childrens-online-privacy-protection-rule-coppa
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