Two federal bills to protect children and teenagers’ online privacy were passed out of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation during a markup session July 27.
Committee members passed an update to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act with a voice vote carried by the Democratic majority and the Kids Online Safety Act, which was approved unanimously, 28-0. Both bills head to the floor for a full vote in the Senate.
COPPA governs how websites and online services must protect the privacy of children under the age of 13 and is
KOSA features a duty of loyalty clause requiring technology companies to prevent harm to minors while mandating more transparency in their algorithms for users and researchers. It would also give researchers a better opportunity to study the effects various platforms have on children and teenagers.
Enhancing COPPA
The major update to COPPA is the Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act, which extends the law's rule to children through age 17.
“This bill would close a loophole that has been allowing companies to abuse the data of children with little accountability and making it harder for the FTC to prove violations,” Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairwoman Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., said.
At the start of the hearing, the committee’s ranking member Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said he would not support either bill because he wanted to see the committee focus on a wider comprehensive data protection bill, such as the American Data Privacy and Protection Act that recently passed the House Committee on Energy and Commerce July 20. He said the ADPPA features a similar provision as the CTOPPA to increase the COPPA Rule to age 17.
So far, Cantwell has
