The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee's Communications Subcommittee held a hearing September 23 on the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (S. 2326), aimed at protecting the privacy of personal information collected from and about children on the Internet.
ALA submitted a statement for the hearing record questioning provisions of the bill: Is the harm addressed by the bill narrowly tailored to children's privacy? Does the bill target appropriate Web sites? Should teenagers over 12 be treated as children for purposes of privacy legislation? How will verifiable "parental consent" or "notice" work in the online environment?
ALA concluded that the bill wields too broad a brush, would have a chilling effect on children's access to information, and would diminish rather than protect their personal privacy. The Association urged a carefully considered exploration of all the issues rather than a bill hastily enacted in the closing weeks of Congress.
Posted September 28, 1998.