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Hi all, Most of you know that I have grave concerns about the Internet safety curriculum provided by I-Safe - primarily because they present inccurate information in a fear-based manner. Here is an old blog: <http://csriu.wordpress.com/2008/03/13/my-review-of-i-safe/> I-Safe had recently applied to be an organization that provides Safe Harbor status to web sites under COPPA. I had concerns about this because over the last decade I-Safe has had several relationships with companies that engage in digital identification. While I do not know this to be a fact, I was concerned that I-Safe was going to use this Safe Harbor approach to set up relationships with sites and then go to schools and suggest they help digitally identify students - which would then allow the sites and the digital identification company to better profile the children for advertising. Let me be very clear. I do not know that this was their plan - but based on past activities I was afraid this was their plan. BUT their application was denied. <http://techdailydose.nationaljournal.com/2010/06/ftc-rejects-groups-request-for.php> But very significantly was the third reason it was denied. This is from the FTC letter: <http://www.ftc.gov/os/2010/06/100608isafecoppa.pdf> Further, although i-SAFE may not be legally required to comply with COPPA because of its non-profit status, the Commission is concerned that i-SAFE’s own website does not provide protections for children equal to or greater than the Rule. As several commenters pointed out, i- SAFE’s website does not comply with COPPA in several respects. i-SAFE collects an extensive amount of personal information from children during its i-Mentor registration process, without first notifying parents and obtaining parental consent, in direct contrast to COPPA’s requirements.6 In addition, i-SAFE’s privacy policy misstates its information collection practices with regard to children under 13. The policy states that “[w]hen a child or young adult under the age of 13 attempts to register with i-SAFE, we ask them to obtain their parent’s consent.” According to the Commission’s review, i-SAFE does not instruct children to obtain their parent’s consent or provide a mechanism for parental consent. The Commission feels strongly that any organization – including a non-profit organization – to which it grants safe harbor status should itself comply with COPPA when interacting with children online. In the case of i-SAFE, which promotes itself as a leader in educating children on Internet safety, the failure to provide COPPA protections is particularly troubling. This failure also would undermine i-SAFE’s authority to enforce other website operators’ compliance with COPPA. I strongly encourage you to look elsewhere for your Internet safety education materials. Nancy Nancy Willard, M.S., J.D. Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use http://csriu.org nwillard@csriu.org --- Edtech Archives, posting guidelines and other information are at: http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~edweb Please include your name, email address, and school or professional affiliation in each posting. To unsubscribe send the following command to: LISTSERV@H-NET.MSU.EDU SIGNOFF EDTECH
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