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The Federal Trade Commission today announced that it is extending the deadline for public comments relating to its review of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule until July 12. On March 24, the Commission announced that it was seeking comment on the costs and benefits of the FTC’s COPPA Rule, which requires that website operators notify parents and obtain their consent before collecting personal information from children under 13. At the time, the Commission announced a 90-day comment period that would end on June 30, 2010.

Due to a technical error, at least for some period of time, the website form where comments can be electronically submitted mistakenly stated that comments would be accepted until July 12, 2010. In fairness to anyone who might have relied upon that information, the Commission has extended the comment period through July 12.

Interested parties can submit written comments electronically or in paper form by following the instructions in the Invitation To Comment part of the “Supplementary Information” section of the Commission’s Federal Register Notice announcing review of the Rule. Comments in electronic form should be submitted using the following Web link:
https://public.commentworks.com/ftc/2010copparulereview (and following the instructions on the web-based form). Comments in paper form should be mailed or delivered to: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Room H-135 (Annex E), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20580.

The Commission vote approving extending the deadline for public comments related to the COPPA Rule review was 5-0.

(3/24/2010 release http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/03/coppa.shtm; Federal Register Notice http://www.ftc.gov/os/2010/03/100324coppa.pdf)

The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 1,800 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. The FTC’s Web site provides free information on a variety of consumer topics.