Kids Have Rights, Too

Sites brace for COPPA fallout

By Lisa Bowman
ZDNet News
April 19, 2000

Angry preteens are flaming Karen DeMars, calling the dotcom executive everything from a "jerk" to a "jackass," but she won't budge. Kids age 12 and under are still banned from using her matchmaker service.

After all, says DeMars, president and co-founder of eCrush.com Inc., she's just trying to follow new federal rules that require sites to obtain parental consent from the under-13 set or risk a $10,000 fine for each violation.

"The biggest reason for doing this is a logistical issue," DeMars said. "If we had to get faxes and signatures it would overwhelm us."

eCrush, which plays cupid for teens with mutual crushes, and other sites targeting kids have spent recent months preparing for the implementation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), which promises to dramatically change the way Web sites deal with preteen audiences. Under COPPA, which passed in October 1998 and takes effect on Friday, April 21, sites are required to gain parental notification -- in some cases via fax, mail or phone -- before collecting personal information from children under 13.

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Sites brace for COPPA fallout