It is still uncertain as to what will happen to the “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights” that was proposed by the White House. Discussions and debates persist despite the urgency of the need to provide better online protection. Many children on the internet share data which could be turned around and used against them. This was the topic that music and TV personality Nick Cannon brought out when he appeared on Capitol Hill.
Working with some legislators, Cannon endorsed the Do Not Track Kids Act. The older Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 will be amended by this one. The new bill’s main aim is to increase online privacy for children. This defines the extent of the ability of websites, advertising agencies and cellular providers to use the personal information of children. The law will no longer allow them to use targeted ads for children and prohibit them from tracking minors.
Online devices such as smartphones and other gadgets that store information on young consumers can now be easily accessed. Without their parents giving consent, these children are in danger of those who are capable of taking advantage of them. They can be simply tracked on the internet and their whereabouts can be monitored without difficulty.
Unknowingly, all online activities of children leave digital footprints - their emails, the topics they search, or pictures they post. These are then gathered by big corporations and data marketers, to be used right away or years later. No parents would be happy if their son is denied a job because of an offending picture of himself that he posted on the net when he was still minor.
There are critics who say that the bill is very broad in scope, which makes it unenforceable. They added that it might be technically impossible and very costly for companies to comply with it. It would also damage the internet because some services would not continue because of liability issues.
As to giving more protection to children online, it is still not clear even now. There always seems to be a battle between those who advocate privacy and those who defend the lifeblood of the internet. The “Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights” is more “favored” because it offers wider user protection regardless of age. But the final result can only be seen when the two camps can come to a “win-win” situation.
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