House Releases 'Do Not Track' Bill
A draft House bill with bipartisan support would prohibit companies from tracking children on the Internet without parental consent, restrict online marketing to minors and require an “Eraser Button” that would allow parents to eliminate kids’ personal information already online.
The draft of the “Do Not Track Kids Act of 2011″—released by Rep. Edward J. Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Rep. Joe Barton, a Texas Republican—would go well beyond existing federal law. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 only requires websites aimed at children under 13 to obtain parental permission before collecting personal information such as kids’ names or email addresses. The new legislation, among other things, would prohibit companies from using or providing to third parties personal information of kids under 18 for “targeted marketing purposes.”
