From an op-ed by Janis Kestenbaum, formerly of the Federal Trade Commission, in The Hill today:
While children may be fans of talking dinosaurs, robots and stuffed animals, the federal government appears to have its concerns. At least that is the suggestion from a warning to parents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that came on the heels of a Federal Trade Commission announcement that connected toys must comply with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
In June, the FTC announced that it had updated its COPPA compliance plan for businesses to make inescapably clear that internet-enabled toys and other “internet of things” (IoT) devices that collect personal information from children may be subject to COPPA. Shortly thereafter, the FBI issued a public service announcement warning parents that connected toys “could put the privacy and safety of children at risk due to the large amount of personal information that may be unwittingly disclosed.”
The full piece is here.
