Venable partner Stu Ingis was quoted in a December 19, 2012 New York Times article on a series of new privacy rules from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) intended to give parents more control over data collected by their children online. FTC members said the rules were updated to keep pace with the increased use of mobile phones and tablets by children. The new rules expand the types of companies required to obtain parental information before collecting personal details from children.
Commenting on the FTC rules, Ingis said, “reputable online marketers did not knowingly profile children to show them behavior-based ads,” adding that the practice was prohibited by industry guidelines. Ingis “agreed with regulators that privacy protections for children online needed to keep pace with new technologies,” but was concerned cookie-based identifier restrictions “might cause some children’s sites to reduce their use of ad networks to avoid having to notify parents about data collection by those services.” Added Ingis, “There might be overreaction that would limit just general third-party collection of data, which is very useful to businesses and consumers.”
Commenting on the FTC rules, Ingis said, “reputable online marketers did not knowingly profile children to show them behavior-based ads,” adding that the practice was prohibited by industry guidelines. Ingis “agreed with regulators that privacy protections for children online needed to keep pace with new technologies,” but was concerned cookie-based identifier restrictions “might cause some children’s sites to reduce their use of ad networks to avoid having to notify parents about data collection by those services.” Added Ingis, “There might be overreaction that would limit just general third-party collection of data, which is very useful to businesses and consumers.”