The Complexity of COPPA Compliance
Meeting COPPA’s strict mandates for obtaining parental consent, safeguarding data, and limiting retention periods can be difficult for organizations collecting children’s personal information online.
Verifiable Parental Consent
Obtaining verifiable parental consent is a core requirement of COPPA compliance. Organizations must provide clear notice of their data practices and obtain affirmative consent from parents before collecting, using, or disclosing personally identifiable or protected health information (PII/PHI) from children under 13. This consent must be obtained through robust verification methods, such as calls, postal mail, or multistep emails. Simple email alone is insufficient, adding complexity to the consent process.
Protect Personal Information
COPPA mandates strict data protection measures for children’s personal information. Organizations must implement reasonable procedures to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of collected data. This includes restricting access to authorized individuals only using technologies like multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect data from unauthorized disclosure. Safeguarding children’s sensitive information across its life cycle can be challenging, especially as data volumes grow.
Data Retention Limits
Strict limits are placed on data retention, which require organizations to securely delete children’s personal information once it is no longer needed for the purpose it was collected. Implementing secure deletion processes that protect against unauthorized access can be complex, especially for large datasets. Organizations must also maintain detailed records of data deletion to demonstrate regulatory compliance.
Partner With Kiteworks to Secure Children’s Data and Comply With COPPA Regulation
Streamline Parental Consent
Kiteworks simplifies parental consent management with secure web forms. These forms enable organizations to provide transparent notice of data practices and capture verified consent from authenticated parent users. Custom branding and text ensure alignment with COPPA notice requirements. Once consent is captured, parents can easily access, export, or delete their child’s PII at any time. Comprehensive audit logs create immutable records of all consent-related activities for compliance reporting.
Protect Data in Transit and at Rest
Kiteworks integrates with your security infrastructure to protect children’s PII in accordance with COPPA. Granular access controls enforce least-privilege principles, ensuring users can only access the minimum data necessary for their roles. End-to-end encryption safeguards data both at rest and in transit. Kiteworks’ hardened virtual appliance further fortifies the platform against external threats. Together, these features enable organizations to implement the strong data protections COPPA requires.
Verifiable Secure Deletion
Kiteworks simplifies secure data deletion in alignment with COPPA requirements. When a parent requests deletion of their child’s information, Kiteworks ensures it is permanently and securely removed from the system. The encrypted content is rendered irrecoverable, going beyond basic deletion. Comprehensive audit logs capture detailed records of all deletion activities, providing the necessary evidence trail for compliance. With Kiteworks, organizations can confidently meet COPPA’s data deletion obligations.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, (COPPA) is a federal law that regulates the online collection of personal information from children under 13. It requires parental consent and data protection measures to safeguard children’s privacy.
COPPA requires organizations to provide clear notice of their data practices and obtain verifiable parental consent through robust methods like calls, postal mail, or multi-step emails before collecting, using, or disclosing children’s personally identifiable or protected health information (PII/PHI).
Organizations demonstrate compliance with COPPA by implementing reasonable procedures to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of children’s personally identifiable or protected health information (PII/PHI), including restricting access to authorized individuals and protecting data from unauthorized disclosure.
COPPA places strict limits on data retention, requiring organizations to securely delete children’s personal information once it is no longer needed for the purpose it was collected. Detailed audit logs of data deletion must be maintained for compliance purposes.
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Secure Children’s Data and Comply With COPPA Regulations 