FTC To the Rescue

If you think that MCPS and its various computer software and hardware vendors may not value your MoCo student's privacy interest, fear not.

FTC  - the Federal Trade Commission - may provide relief.

http://www.ftc.gov/news-events/press-releases/2014/08/ftc-seeks-public-comment-agecheq-inc-proposal-parental

From the press release:

Under the rule, online sites and services directed at children must obtain permission from a child’s parents before collecting personal information from that child. The rule lays out a number of acceptable methods for gaining parental consent, but also includes a provision allowing interested parties to submit new verifiable parental consent methods to the Commission for approval.

In a Federal Register notice to be published shortly, the FTC is seeking public comment about the proposed AgeCheq verifiable parental consent method; whether the proposed method is already covered by the existing methods included in the rule and whether it meets the rule’s requirement that it be reasonably calculated to ensure that the person providing the consent is actually the child’s parent. The Commission also seeks comment on whether the program poses a risk to consumers’ information and whether that risk is outweighed by the benefits of the program. The comment period will last until Sept. 30, 2014. 

If you  have an opinion, let the FTC know before September 30. Remember, once your child's privacy is compromised, who knows what the consequences will be.