The COPPA Quiz

 

  1. A general audience website wants to provide a way that the users of the site can set up an email account. It is not a site that is directly aimed at children so it does not ask the user to get parental consent at the time of setting up an email account. After a few years, the webmaster of the site decides to add a new page that focuses on kids and fun things for them to do online. They also decide to allow the children to use email, but claim that they have no way of knowing if a child or an adult is setting up the account. Is this company breaking the law?

a. Yes, they are knowingly breaking a law set up by COPPA.

                        b. They may not know they are breaking the law. They should consult a lawyer or read COPPA first.

                  c. No, they are not breaking any laws.

 

  1. What has to happen in a chat room for a child to participate legally?
    1. There has to be a cartoon dog watching them and being silly the whole time.
    2. Topics of the chat room must be appropriate for age.
    3. The chat session must be monitored and no personal data may be displayed.
    4. Parental consent must be given if the chat room is aimed at children.

 

  1. The passing of COPPA was the first effort by a federal agency to implement rules for the internet environment.
    1. True
    2. False

 

  1. What are some of the ways that chat-based sites can gain parental consent for their child?
    1. snail mail
    2. pony express
    3. 1-800 numbers
    4. credit card verification
    5. door-to-door confrontation
    6. a flyer on their car
    7. fax-back

    

  1. Jimmy has a question about spaceships and visits Starchild (http://starchild.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/StarChild/StarChild.html) where he can email his question to an astronomer. What is the legally right thing for this site to do since it is directly aimed at children and knows that emailed questions are coming from kids?
    1. Children can email without triggering the parental consent rule.
    2. The parental consent rule is not triggered if the site deletes all personal info when the question arrives.
    3. Since parents might email questions for their kids, the site does not feel legally bound by COPPA.
    4. Jimmy’s question is stupid and the site does not answer stupid questions, so they are not legally bound.

 

  1. A child-oriented website decides to mail multiple newsletters to children who have provided them with personal data. There is no obvious way that parents can contact the webmaster to stop these emails. This is perfectly legal because the kids want them.
    1. True.
    2. False.

 

  1. When deciding whether a website is directed at children, the FTC will consider the overall _________ of the site.
    1. design
    2. feel
    3. character
    4. look